Lucifer's Call: Dark Descent
by Black Snapper
Summary: Story Adaptation of Atlus' fantastic game, Nocturne/ AKA Lucifer's Call. After the world falls like a setting sun, Naoki Kashima is given a choice: To save the world, to remake it, or defy fate and destroy everything he ever cared about. RATED M
1. Prologue and Warning

Author's Notes:

This is a project that has been in the planning, in various forms and drafts, for near over a year, It is, as the summary suggests, an adaptation of SMT Nocturne, Lucifer's Call edition, therefore there WILL be absolutely MASSIVE spoliers. I know that there is a radio rendition of it, but I've never heard it. If the radio version and this one are in any way similar, I do apologize and insist such resemblance is coincidental. I also have not seen any other adaptations of the game, but if any of them exist, then I insist again that any resemblance is coincidental. I took the name Naoki Kashima as the name of the protagonist as it appears to be canonical.

I am not an associate of the creators of the Shin Megami Tensei, nor any related gaming company, nor do I take any ownership or rights of its characters, plot, organizations or ideas. I do own a copy of the game, but that's about all. This fan fiction is strictly for entertainment purposes. Not for profit and thus I will take no financial gain from it.

Dark Descent is rated M. At first, I contemplated dropping it down to T, but as the story took shape in my mind, it became blatantly obvious that it was a definite M, even despite my own conservative opinion. As the rating suggests, this story is not for the faint hearted or immature. Being based upon Lucifer's Call as it is, and the genre being primarily Tragedy with a generous smattering of Angst and Horror, it will contain strong violence up to and including death, adult themes, suicide, torture and course language including swearing and blasphemy. Most importantly, it WILL contain a plethora of satanic references, glorifying of the devil and demons in general and god bashing which will not appeal to everyone. I request all readers to keep an open mind and remain aware of their right to not read further if they are offended. I welcome any reviews of the story, but please don't simply complain about how outraged you are over its content.

Henceforth, any and all author's notes will be at the bottom of the chapters. I find having them anywhere else a bit distracting, myself.

This story will be Naoki/Yuko Takao, as in the teacher in the same game. I picked the Yuko T one thinking it meant Takao, but now I'm not so sure. There'd better not be another Yuko T in the series, or things are going to get VERY awkward.

Oh yeah, and if you haven't yet, buy the game! I highly recommend all of SMT's series, even Demikids for the Gameboy. It's like Pokemon. . . WITH HORRENDOUSLY EVIL KILLING MACHINES! :D

* * *

><p>The day is Monday, the time, 11 AM. A bright, sunny day much like any other, and she's contemplating the unthinkable, just as she has done so for the past year, but never with such feeling.<p>

_Is this really the right thing to do?_

_Will they forgive me?_

_Will I forgive myself?_

Yes, almost exactly like any other. She's teaching a class of twenty six students, pretending to be relaxed and normal when she's anything but. She can barely remember the subject she's teaching. The words of instructions are coming out, and they're coherent, but she's not listening to herself speak. She vaguely remembers it as a mathematics class, a subject universally thought of as boring, but she has the full attention of twenty four people in the room. Her mind, however, is elsewhere, not in her body, not here in this classroom. It is to the future.

_How could I do this?_

She knows what will happen. She knows.

She knows the students by name. Over there is Taichi Tachibana, a young boy with black hair. He doesn't want to be in this class, he wants to be a famous rapper. It is a stupid desire for an intelligent boy. She shrugs her shoulders and tells him he can be whatever he desires. He tells her he'll make a famous record and name it after her, and she is unsure wether it's a compliment or not.

Next to him, making eyes at the more voluptuous members of the class is Isamu Nitta, violating school policy by wearing his hat – again. He is also one of the two in the class (the other being herself) who is not paying attention to the lecture, preferring to ogle the other girls in their general chest regions. She contemplates telling him off, reconsiders. It doesn't matter.

_Nothing matters._

Chiaki Hayasaka s raising her hand, asking a question, and the teacher answers it automatically, not even paying attention to what is asked or replied. It could have been about the lesson, about the\ weather, about something embarrassing. She has plans, that Chiaki, plans that are very simple and involve money and power. Preferably as much of each that can be obtained. Those plans are also not entirely their own. She's an ambitious girl with ambitious parents, parents who crush her beneath their heel until their desires meld together and she dances like a puppet on a string to their demands and orders, believing them her own.

_I can sympathise. _

But she won't.

These 26 children – teenagers, she reminds herself, they're not children, they're fifteen years old – are the future of the world, and it is her duty to teach them about this world that they've had the deep misfortune to be born into. But she's not doing that. She's teaching them a fantasy. She's teaching them that their world has a future. She is telling them they can be whatever they want to be. She's lying through her teeth.

It's only a matter of time before the proverbial ideological bubble bursts, when fantasy dies and reality rises in its place. How will they deal with it when the times comes? Will they cry? Turn to each other for comfort? Perhaps, even seek out a higher power like so many have done in the past. Maybe a select few will even break through the mire and soar above the rest of the world and achieve their dreams and fantasies.

Or perhaps, like her, they will cave in under the strain and collapse back down to earth.

25 of these children are still in the bubble of fantasy, as far as she knows, some of them deeper in it than others. As for the 26th. . .she knows the bubble burst for him long ago. Or perhaps it never even existed.

He's staring at her now, his blue eyes burning into her own, his pen still in his hand as it draws circles in the air whilst he's listening to her speak. . . whatever it is she's saying, she can't even tell. She CAN tell that the schoolwork he is doing right now is not his own. His book is pushed off to the side, completed and ready, because he is an intelligent boy, a boy whose potential far outshines the rest, a boy who deserves far more in life than he receives.

There is another boy in the class, whose name escapes her for the moment. He is a big lump of a person, unskilled in mathematics but exceptionally skilled in bullying and intimidation, with biceps like corded steel cables. For several days now, his test scores have been unusually high – as in 40 marks above what they were before. His parents are ecstatic at his improved performance at school. Apparently, they believe it is because their threat to remove his beloved playstation has finally made him get his act together.

They are fools.

And so the boy with the blue eyes and the black hair and the jacket draped behind his chair is doing the work of someone else because his own marks are higher than theirs and that cannot be tolerated. So they are doing everything they can to equalise the balance board, up to and including threats to beat the more skilled person within an inch of their life. In the school world of ideological fantasy, it is illegal and supposed to be punished the moment it is spotted.

In the real world, it is also illegal. But it's allowed, endorsed, accepted and encouraged, to the point that the ones who stay true and lawful are the ones left behind, and those that report it are ridiculed and ignored. Crime DOES pay. And nice guys (and girls) always finish last.

Yes. She remembers now, remembers why she embarked upon this dark, evil, horrible path. She's seen it for herself, seen just how sick this world is and how its inhabitants are even sicker. She knows how it happened and how it was allowed to happen. She also knows how to make it stop and fix the damage.

But knowing is not doing. And she is struggling daily.

Just like he is. She knows his story – an awkward conversation one time, when they'd only just met. It feels like a century ago. She was. . . not pure then. . . but purER, not as doomed as she is now. She was preparing for an interview with the parents and guardians of the students, and in an offhand sort of way, told him that she was looking forward to meeting his mother.

A long silence followed which had him staring at the floor, she staring at the back of his head with concerned eyes and a questioning gaze.

Then he spoke and she gasped. Another silence, then came the stunning shock of truth and the hasty apologies afterwards that mean nothing.

_Forgive me. . . I didn't realize.._

And he replies shaking his head. I'm sorry, he had said, a line that he would later repeat verbatim and she would soon know off by heart. He told her that he was used to it, that It was a long time ago. He asked her not to tell anyone.

She does not end up speaking to his mother.

There are other people for her to speak to when she attends the interview. She speaks to them and they discuss his academic achievements (Is he a good student? Yes, he is well behaved, top of his class) She has other concerns, however. She has seen . . . she struggles to put it into words at the interview. Evidence is the word she eventually decides on, and it fits. Yes, she has seen evidence of a problem.

What sort of problem? they ask.

She tells them.

They shake their head. Impossible!

She persists, tells them what she has seen on his arms, what she has seen in his soul, what she has seen through the window of the classroom whilst they're supposed to be on lunch break, what he does when he thinks nobody is looking. She knows he is troubled. She knows he is deeply troubled, needs help. She knows it because she is exactly the same.

She understands, and she is the only one who does.

She brings up her concerns in the interview. They are ignored as they are unrelated to teaching duties. She is warned to stay away from him. She feels useless. She is sorry for him.

A voice, long forgotten, pleads to her desperately.

Don't be sorry for him and don't get involved. Don't care. No. Don't look at him like that. Don't feel bad. Don't do anything stupid. Don't do the wrong thing. Don't do something you'll regret.

She is sorry for him and she does get involved. She does care. Yes, She does look at him like that. She does feel bad. She does do something stupid. She does do the wrong thing. She does something, and she doesn't regret what she's done.

She knows why he is here. And it is not for the class.

He knows why she is staring at him. And it is not because he is doing somebody else's schoolwork.

_Stop__ this,_ his eyes plead, as though he can read her thoughts.

"It's too late," she whispers, loud enough for the class to hear. They blink in surprise, ask questions unrelated to the lesson and she evades them with experience and expertise. She is shocked out of her wool gathering moment, returns to the here and now and the young boy – no, man – in front of her. Oh yes, and the others, they're still here, but they don't matter.

There. She said it. They don't matter. And it's true. It shouldn't be, but it is. But he does. He does matter to her. This is also true, also shouldn't be, but it is.

He does. She needs to stop denying it.

And she makes her decision, the first true decision she has made for herself in many years. Like most decisions nowadays, it is a cruel, selfish decision borne of fickle emotions. It is also a minor one, she feels, that won't change a thing.

She knows that by seven o'clock this afternoon, almost the entire world's population will be dead.

But if she can just save him, just this one youth named Naoki Kashima, then she will have no regrets. For in this cruel, corrupted world, he is the only thing that matters to the middle school teacher named Ms. Yuko Takao.


	2. Beginning and End

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI NOCTURNE

LUCIFER'S CALL EDITION

DARK DESCENT

A STORY BY BLACK SNAPPER

Chapter 1: Beginning and End

4:20 PM. Monday Afternoon.

All things considered, Naoki should have known the world was going to end, for the simple fact that the train arrived at the station ON TIME. As the train came to a halt, it's rusty brakes screeching like banshees, a cheerful voice spoke to the occupants from one of the big speakers:

"Yoyohi Park Station! Yoyogi Park Station! The train has now arrived. Please do not rush onto the train, and please disembark carefully."

Orders, especially those from a disembodied mechanical voice too cheerful for its own good, are made to be broken. The doors opened and the station became a battleground of people pushing and barging their way out onto the platform as they all tried to exit the train at the same time. The stronger ones, mostly male, big and strong, came first, elbowing all opposition away, followed closely by progressively weaker people who were unable to fight through the chaos.

And finally, when the last little old lady had gotten off and finished complaining about "kids these days", out came a young man with blue eyes and black hair, wearing a dark hooded jacket with a strange image on the side. It was identifiable, if you squinted, as an 8 bit computer game character, but most people paid it no attention, least of all the owner of the jacket. He thought of it as a reassuring weight, something flashy that he had paid good money for. If he had learned that the little mascot on the sleeve was a depiction of Jack Frost, a minor demon, he would have probably tossed the jacket into the fire, then burnt all pictures of him EVER wearing the jacket, then immediately estranged himself from anybody who had ever seen him wearing the jacket of unspeakable evil, lest it contaminate their souls as it had probably done himself. Then he would spent the rest of the day thumbing through his bible, searching out the most horrible sounding and angry phrases in the book, and read them over and over again to feel sorry for wearing something that glorified evil.

But he didn't know about that, and so the owner of the jacket stepped out, attempting to look the epitome of cool and calm sophistication as he strode to the platform. Unfortunately, he completely misrepresented the distance between train and station, thus stumbling forward and falling flat on his face.

Naoki Kashima had arrived.

For a few seconds he simply lay there, gasping for air as he tried to recover, obvious to the passengers forced to step over him as they boarded the train, even when they began to kick him in the butt in an effort to make him move aside.

The trip had been extremely stressful for someone who hated large crowds and tended to avoid them as much as possible, especially when he was alone. When people were too close to him, he would shiver and shake and tremble and try to drown himself in calm relaxing music, such as the Blue Danube waltz. But when people got too close, as in close enough that he could smell their body odour, he would gag and his chest would compress and he wouldn't be able to breathe and his music would be useless.

The train he had been on had been so crowded that Naoki wouldn't be in the least surprised if he had held his breath the entire trip.

The ringing of his cell phone served to rouse him from the concrete, and he rose to his feet, walking away from the station as the train sped away with a scream. The phone had been ringing constantly the entire trip, but he had been too stressed to answer it. Now the stress had passed and he could answer the call, but he wasn't fast enough. The caller had already hung up. Sighing, Naoki punched the buttons on his phone, checking if any of the missed calls were important.

There were 23 of them.

"What the. . ."

They were all from the same phone number, a number he had in his contact list and attributed to a girl in his class named Chiaki. One of two people he would be meeting today in Yoyogi Park. As he checked his way through all 23, he quickly learned to anticipate the message within each one, as they were mostly the same, but their frequency was amazing.

3:57: You're late, Kashima!

3:58: You're late, Kashima!

3:59: You're late, Kashima!

4:00: You're late, Kashima!

4:01: You're late, Kashima!

And so on, up until 4:20, in which it stated that he was "exceptionally late". Naoki sighed and shook his head. He'd obviously messed up the time he'd given them – his intention was that they met in Yoyogi Park at 4:30, then went to the hospital together. Instead, he was apparently already late.

_I hope they haven't been waiting too long. .. . _

Naoki walked over to the local vending machine and bought himself a drink with one hand whilst he fiddled with the phone in the other. He'd long since learned not to ring up Chiaki herself – the one time he'd tried, the result had been chaos – so he phoned his other friend Isamu instead. They were supposed to be at the same spot, after all. He estimated the phone rang for only half a second before it was picked up and Isamu began to shout in his ear.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, NAOKI? My god, we've been waiting here forever!"

Naoki paled – Isamu was angry, really angry. Both the drink he was holding and the phone began to shake as he tried to defend himself. "I'm sorry Isamu, really. . . I didn't realize I was late. . . "

"Whatever. Where are you now?"

At Yoyogi Park Station, I just got off the train. Listen, I think I gave you the wrong time, or maybe I read the time wrong, but I thought - "

"Never mind what you thought, it's situation critical over here! Her royal Highness Chiaki is here and on the warpath, ready to eviscerate you if you waste much more of our critical time. We've been waiting here a good half an hour, so you'd better hurry up, or we're going to Shinjuku Hospital without you."

"Sorry, Isamu," Naoki stammered. "I'll be there as fast as I can. Oh. . . and I've got the spare jacket you asked for. . . " Actually, he didn't have it – it was still on the train which was now on its way back down the route, but it was an exact duplicate of the one he was already wearing. He could simply take it off and give it to Isamu instead.

"Ah, awesome!" Isamu cheered up instantly at the news of the wonder jacket. "You know she digs the jacket. If she can dig it on a little shrimp on you, then she'll be coming in her pants at a hot stud like me wearing it!"

Somewhere in the background came an angry shout. "Lout! Don't speak like that in front of a lady!"

Isamu mumbled an apology off mike, then spoke to Naoki again. "Whatever… just don't drop it in a swamp or sewerage on the way here. You're just the mood maker. Remember that! Now get your ass here before her highness punches out someone's lights – namely, mine."

"I'm sorry, I'll be right there!" Naoki stammered, but the phone clicked before Isamu heard his apology. Naoki whimpered, returned the phone to his pocket, then tossed his half finished drink into the bin. In his hurry to Yoyogi Park, he didn't even realize that his drink wasn't even among the ones listed on the Vending Machine.

* * *

><p>Naoki Kashima had not planned on going anywhere that afternoon, least of all as far away from his house as Yoyogi Park and Shinjuku Hospital. He had planned simply on lying at home, reading a book ,playing a video game or two (or three or four or five or six. . .) and doing the homework of at least six different bullies who had each threatened him with unpleasant tortures involving various openings of his body and various common household objects. Yet this peace and quiet had been completely shattered when his cell phone had gone off, completely out of the blue, indicating he'd received a message from someone on his contact list.<p>

The message was short and to the point.

"There's been an emergency, Naoki. Please come to Shinjuku Hospital immediately."

The caller ID was his home room teacher, Ms. Takao.

In a fit of panic, Naoki had immediately thought the worst had happened and went through a variety of worst case scenarios in his mind.

_Oh god oh god, she's dead. She's been in an accident. That serial killer they warned us about that vanished in the fifteenth century has come back and she's his first victim. Or maybe she's pregnant with . .. NO! That's STUPID. _

He wanted to know and yet he didn't want to know and he bombarded her phone with nervous semi coherent questions, begging her for an answer, trying to figure out what happened. He got no answer, just the same message, urging him to come as soon as possible. So he'd rung up his best friend and asked him to come with him.

"No," Isamu replied. "I'm busy With stuff."

Naoki trembled under his irritated gaze. "Please… pretty please Isamu? I'm really worried about her. . ."

"You can go yourself. Grow some balls, Kashima! I'm not going to go on the train and walk you the hospital like a toddler!"

"Oh . .. aright." That WAS asking Isamu too much. He shouldn't have bothered, Isamu probably had a lot of stuff to do, anyway. "sorry for asking, Isamu, I won't bother you again…"

Isamu cut in seconds before he put the phone down. "Huh . . . on second thoughts. . . Ms. Takao always seems nicer when you're around. . . How about I meet you somewhere, say, Yoyogi Park? We were going to meet up anyway, weren't we."

"We were?"

"Yep. You didn't forget?"

"Err. . ."

"About the JACKET. You said you had a spare, and you were going to give it to me. REMEMBER?"

"Oh. . I remember," It was a lie – he didn't remember, and he didn't have a spare, but he had the money and the location of the shop that sold the jackets. "Sorry for forgetting, I'll go get it right now."

"Good. Oh, hey, here's Chiaki. Just wait a moment, Kashima." Now Isamu speaking off mike. "Hey, Chiaki, it's Naoki Kashima on the line, how about – "

The phone was immediately cut off, and Chiaki's voice boomed into Naoki's ear as Isamu whinged in the background, moaning something about bitches and high heels and ruined assets and phones.

"Kashima. I'm going too."

"R – really?" Naoki stared.

"Yes I am. I need to ask Ms Takao about my future career opportunities. Every time I ask her before she's managed to elude me. Hopefully she's paralysed and stuck in a gurney. Speaking to her while she's immobilized will give her a good incentive to stay still and answer my questions at last. "

"Oh… but . . .Isn't this a bad time?" Trust Chiaki to be self preoccupied.

"WHAT? Unlike you, I happen to care about my future, and you two should start planning ahead as well."

"Oh, okay. So, I was planning on getting to Yoyogi Park by about. . ."

"We will be waiting for you at 4:30 exactly. Do not be late. Goodbye."

"Okay," Naoki spoke into the silence. "Um, bye, Chiaki.. ."

On the other end of the phone, Chiaki nudged Isamu in the side as she gave him back his phone. "Why'd you ask him to bring you a jacket?"

"Oh, come on! Have you SEEN the way Ms. Takao looks at him? She LOVES that jacket. I swear, she takes a look at that jacket and she's trembling in her seat. She'll never notice me if I don't get one of those jackets – it's like a lucky charm, or something."

"Isamu! She's your homeroom teacher! She's like double your age!"

"I know that, but she's so god damn hot! Have you SEEN that ass on her? Let me tell you, it's not her teaching that makes her the most popular teacher on campus. . ."

"You're disgusting. And I forbid you from being attracted to Ms. Takao, it's inappropriate conduct. " she whispered the next line under her breath. "And I don't think it's the jacket she's looking at."

* * *

><p>He was late. Of course. Naoki Kashima had never been very good at sports, least of all running. He'd have made it in time if he ran all the way, but he couldn't run all the way. He ran out of puff halfway to Yoyogii Park and had to collapse on the sidewalk for several long minutes to catch his breath again. He spent those long moments contemplating what Chiaki would do to him when he arrived.<p>

And now that that he was finally here, he realized that Chiaki and Isamu couldn't have been waiting for him here anyway, as the place was sealed off and swarming with police.

Naoki had heard that something had happened at a park, but he couldn't remember what it was and he didn't realized it was Yoyogi Park they meant, but obviously they did.

He couldn't help it – his curiosity overwhelmed him and he came closer, attempting to get a look . . .

"Get out of here, kid!"

And the next thing he knew, he was flying back, sent spinning from an impatient fat cop's backhand which sent him onto the ground on his back into possibly the only muddy puddle in the entirety of Tokyo. Naturally, it perfectly matched him in width and length and depth and he was drenched from head to toe. For several minutes he flailed uselessly, but finally got back up and realized that when Isamu received his "spare" jacket, he would be very angry that Naoki had dropped it in the mud.

The cop was still standing around, completely ignoring him. Tentatively, Naoki tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, sir –"

"What the HELL did I just tell you, boy? Get out of here!" And Naoki tensed, readying himself for the slap that would send him back into the puddle…

"Hitting children now, constable? You really mustn't want anybody finding out about this incident, do you?"

. . only for the cop to find his attention diverted towards a man in a long hat and a moustache. "Oh GOD, not you again."

"Sorry Officer, just doing my job, trying to get pictures for the scene. How about you, kid? Feeling curious?"

"No…" Naoki shook his head desperately. This new man seemed nice, but he was STRANGE, and thus frightening. "I thought my friends would be here, but they're obviously not, and so –"

"Oooooh," the man's eyes glittered, much like a wild animal spotting the weak point on its prey. He reached into his coat, then flung a small card in Naoki's direction. Naoki paled and jumped out of the way of the projectile, then picked it up off the ground.

_JYOJI HIJIRI_

_REPORTER FOR AYATOSHI MONTHLY_

Naoki blinked. "Hijiri?"

"Speaking! So nice to make your acquaintance," and he shook Naoki's hand like a madman. "So, tell me about your friends. Are they young? Pretty? Old? Ugly? How long have you known them? Have you performed many sacrificial rites together?"

Naoki cringed under the barrage of questions. "I . . . uh. . . err. . .wait – WHAT?"

The cop made an official sounding snort of disapproval. "Are you saying this young man is involved in this incident?"

"NO!" Naoki waved his hands around like a windmall. "I only just got here and I don't know anything and I'm just looking for my friends and they're young and I don't know if they're ugly or not and we have NEVER performed any sacrificial rites together and," he stopped to catch his breath.

"He doesn't know anything," the cop declared and Naoki nodded in fervent agreement.

"Alright. Well, do you want the official version or the truth?" Hijiri asked him with a grin. The cop glrared back.

"The official version IS the truth!"

Naoki blinked. "I don't know. . . what happened here? Why's the park sealed up?"

"This is the official version," Hijiri took a breath then spoke in an arrogant, command tone. "The clash between well known communications company Cyber and a civic origination of protestors has resulted in unfortunate death on both sides. The truth, however. . . at least, what they say on the fringe. . . "

Hijiri smirked at the youth. ". . . is that it was a battle between two opposing demonic cults."

"Wha . . ." Naoki couldn't believe his ears. Demonic Cults. . .had been here. They'd breathed here. They'd existed here. Demonic Cults were evil and corrupted the air they breathed and the land they walked on. Corruption was bad. It rotted your teeth, made you fat and turned you into a rapist and a murderer. Corruption and sins and evil must be avoided at all costs.

They could be corrupting him right now!

He could be breathing it in, absorbing it through his feet from the tainted ground, turning him into a bad person that would do terrible things and be hated by everyone, including GOD, and when he died and tried to go to heaven GOD would say "NO" and toss him back down to earth, forcing him to leave out the rest of his existence as an evil spirit. . . He had to get away. He could practically even see the evil taint in the air if he squinted – purple, sort of like cold custard.

The fat cop took no notice of the youth's attempts to breathe in only uncorrupted air. "That is nothing but speculation and hearsay. Like I told you before, we will not admit you or this boy into the Park. Go sniff out another story."

Naoki nodded. "Yes sir. I'll leave right now sir." And he back-pedalled away from the fat cop, nearly breaking the land speed record in his haste to escape the corruption.

"Hey, wait a moment kid!" Naoki froze in mid back-pedal, looking back over at the self proclaimed ace reporter.

"Here kid, how would you like to read my article? It's this month's Ayakashi Monthly, scheduled for release tomorrow. You'll get the first copy in Tokyo!"

_It__'__s__.__.__.an__ occult.__.__.__magazine.__.__._

"I - uh, thank you. . . but I really don't . . ."

"Don't be shy! Here, take it!" And poor Naoki was forced to accept it. He took a glance at the cover and could practically feel his eyeballs screaming in horror.

_Ayakashi Exclusive – Ace reporter Jyoji Hijiri infiltrates the Gaea Cult and learns of its plans to doom the earth through the scripture of Miroku! _

_A Connection between the Gaea Cult and Shinjuku Medical Center! Read all about it!_

_Is there a true God? Find out on page 24!_

_Plus a Pets special: How to find out if your cat has fallen under demonic possession, in 12 easy steps! All this and more in this month's issue of Ayakashi Monthly, Tokyo's favorite magazine of the occult and satanic!  
><em>

He dropped the magazine on the ground in a fright, prompting an amused chuckle from Hijiri and an angry stare from the fat cop.

Hijiri smiled. "Do you want a copy, Officer?"

"NO!"

He had to accept the magazine. But he could feel its corrupting influence rise above the pages like a miasma, and he could just see the skull on the front mouthing out words. . .

_"YOU"RE DOOMED, BITCH!"_

Finally, Naoki found a compromise. By taking off his jacket, carefully wrapping up the magazine in it, and then holding it at arms length, he would theoretically be immune from its evil corruptive influence and he wouldn't be able to see the skull on the cover. Theoretically. But there was absolutely no way he was going to read it.

Hijiri smirked as he watched Naoki's efforts to carry the magazine. "So, where you headed now?"

"Oh. . .Shunjuku Hospital. I need to visit my teacher, she's sick. . . "

"Oh?" Hijiiri blinked. "What a coincidence, I was going to head over there right after I've finished inestigating this place. It's a real hotspot for paranormal activity…"

"It is?"

"Yup. You wouldn't associate a hospital with the occult, but that place is . . . supposedly. . . different."

Naoki, at this moment in time, was suddenly having serious thoughts about turning around and leaping straight back onto the train.

Hijiri grinned even wider. "Oh, calm down. False info is pretty common in my industry, so just laugh it off, Okay? You'd better get going now – don't forget to let me know what you thought about my article if we ever meet again!"

"R. .. right. .. . " Naoki honestly had no idea just what he was going to do with it now. Maybe he could give it to Isamu as an apology for getting the jacket dirty. With a final farewell to Hijiri and the fat cop, he was running off in a sprint.

Almost just as quickly he had stopped again. He reached back into his pocket and retrieved the phone, then dialled Isamu's number.

"Um . .. it's me again.. . ."

It was Chiaki who answered this time. She herself did have a phone, but seemed to use Isamu's far more often. "Finally. Kashima. What have you been doing all this time? You were too slow – we're already at Shinjuku hospital."

"I'm sorry, I –"

"I don't want to hear it. Just get over here already."

"Have you seen Ms. Takao? Is she –"

"Hurry up, Kashima. Goodbye." Click.

* * *

><p>By the time Naoki had arrived at the hospital, Chiaki had been twiddling her thumbs for exactly 21 minutes and thirty seconds. This hospital was obviously one of those cheapskate ones, lacking reading material. Hell, it didn't even have a receptionist.<p>

_So much for being a private hospital_, Chiaki thought in irritation. She was only slightly calmed when she finally noticed Naoki standing before her, sans jacket, which he was holding as though it were a live grenade. "You took too long. Isamu's already searching the place."

"I'm sorry," Naoki said for the thousandth time that hour. As she stared at him, she realized how similar to a dog he was. A small dog, with bright eyes and a wagging tail, always desperate for attention. Skinny, begging passers-by for a morsel of food, ever eager.

He looked exactly like the sort of dog Chiaki took great pleasure in kicking until they pissed themselves. Of course, after the kicking, they'd be straight back to the bright eyes and the wagging tail, and the cycle would begin again.

"Look at this dump. Ms. Takao has terrible taste in hospitals."

Naoki blinked. "Maybe. . . maybe she didn't have a choice." If Ms Takao had been sent here in an emergency case, then the fashion level of the hospital would likely have been the least of her problems.

"It's deserted. I've been waiting here for hours, and there's nobody here. I haven't even seen one staff member. It's creepy. If I was Ms. Takao, I'd sue. And look at this waiting room! It doesn't even have any material to read whilst you wait!"

Naoki shrugged. "I'm sorry. .. " he said, apologising basically for his entire existence. "Where''s Isamu?"

"I sent him off to look for Ms. Takao whilst I waited here for you, but the idiot's probably off fooling around. Please tell me you at least brought me some reading material."

"Oh… uh . . . . " Naoki trembled. He DID have reading material, but giving it to her would require unwrapping the jacket . . . and he would be exposed to the evil again. . .

"Do you have any or not?"

"Yes, yes!" He threw caution to the wind and unwrapped the jacket as quickly as possible, dropping the magazine on the floor. Chiaki stared at him, indicatd him to pick it up off the ground and he obeyed, using the jacket as insulation and treating the magazine as though it was irradiated.

"Ayikashi Monthly. . .never heard it before . . .well, at least it might help me kill some time. Where'd you get it from?"

"Sorry. . .. some guy gave it to me. Said it was an unreleased edition."

"Some guy? Kashima, don't take things from strangers, you don't know where they've been." she took the magazine off him and thumbed through it. Almost instantly she frowned. "Kashima . . this is an occult magazine."

"Yes.. . yes I know. I'm sorry, I didn't realize what it was until –"

"Stop apologizing, damnit!"

"Oh! Sorry!…. Um.. . ."

"Bah!" Chiaki nailed him with a glare that could tear holes in the walls. "Whatever. At least it will help me pass some time. Go see if you can find Isamu. That idiot's probably gone and gotten himself lost."

Naoki nodded. "Sure. I'll go get him right away. I'll . .I'll leave this jacket here with you. It's the spare one I got for Isamu."

"Good. Now go and let me read this magazine in peace. If we can't find Ms. Takao, then I don't want to stay here one more minute."

Naoki obeyed, ambling off to search the upper floors. He was in entirely the wrong place, of course.

Isamu had already searched the upper floors and found nothing – no patients, no staff, no rodents. So he'd taken the elevator to the roof, where he'd realized that there was a second part to the hospital – an entirely separate building, an annexe. He'd gone down one level, but found the annexe gateway locked and requiring a key card, which he didn't have and hadn't found. Perhaps there was another way to the other building, perhaps underground. Isamu took the elevator to the basement level at the same time Naoki was exploring the second level.

The elevator doors opened wide and Isamu took a half step out and then froze. It wasn't the fact that the basement level was in disrepair, full of broken glass and darkness only slightly illuminated by the elevator behind him. No, it was for the fact that he wasn't alone. Two people were at the far end, arguing over another key card access machine that prevented them from entering further. One of them was in a purple leotard with matching stockings and gloves, whilst the other was all dressed up in white and blue, with a blue and white hat with bells on it that tinkled when its owners head moved. They moved now. It was tricky to see in the darkness, but Isamu could already tell that the two of them had to be children. They were far too short to be adults.

One of them spoke.

"You're doing it wrong, He Ho."

That was definitely a child's voice, and Isamu wasn't afraid of children. He began to walk up to the pair of them as they continued to argue.

Now another voice, this time female. "Of course I'm doing it right! The blasted machine must be broken!"

"Maybe you're putting it in the wrong way, he ho."

"I've already tried the other way! This has got to be it. Look here!" and she shoved the card under the child's face. "You see the little arrow? The hole's got a little arrow too. Trust me, I know how these thing's work. You just have to get the little arrows to line up as you swipe the card – so!"

And she swiped the card. And back came the loud irritated bleep of an invalid card.

"OH FOR – Stupid human machines!" She slammed her fist on the machine.

"Let me try, he ho."

"No, you'll just break it even more. This stupid thing . . . bah!"

"Hey. . . " Isamu called.

"Why don't you just jolt it with electricity, he ho? We're missing the party in Yoyogi Park. They may have even finished and there mightn't be any leftovers and -"

"I'll jolt YOU if you don't stop whining!"

"HEY. . ." Isamu called again. He'd now gotten close enough to realize what the problem was, but the two children were too involved in their argument to hear him.

"We shouldn't have come, he ho," the young boy moaned. "The grown ups will do all the cool stuff and have this great party afterwards, and we'll be stuck here, cold and hungry and –"

"Will you be quiet for once, Ice boy?"

"Zio for brains! So there! HE HO!"

"Bufu for an ass!"

"Macca for boobs!"

"HEY!" Isamu shouted at the top of his lungs. The two children spun around on their heels are glared at him.

"WHAAT?" They shouted in unison.

The insulting remark that had been on Isamu's tongue retreated down his throat and stayed there entrapped. The two beings he was staring at were most certainly NOT children, at least not children of a human race. For one thing, the boy with the hat had a white face and was breathing ice out through his nose and mouth. For another, the girl in the leotard had pointy ears. . . and was actually a lot shorter than he had thought she was. The only reason she was eye level with his belly button . . .

Was because she was hovering in the air, supported by two tiny wings that flapped at a frenetic pace.

Isamu bliniked.

_What the FUCK am I staring at?_

"AAAAH! IT'S A HUMAN! HE HOOOOO!"

"I can tell that, dumb ass!" The flying girl fired a glare at the other before turning to Isamu. "WHAT. You got something to say, big guy?"

"Y-yeah. . ." Isamu stammered. "That key's not for the basement.. . .it's for the annexe."

The two creatures stared at each other.

"Are you sure, he ho?"

"Y-yeah. You see, the writing there? It says. .. annexe. You need a card that says basement." For all of his shaking and stunned disbelief, Isamu's voice was strangely calm.

The girl monster's eyes bulged out of her head. "You mean…. The reason that the annexe didn't work was because we had. . . "

"I TOLD you we should have tried the other key! You . . .YOU STUPID HE HO!"

"Oh, DARN IT! Now we have to go all the way back up to the annexe and swap the keys over?"

"Looks like it, He ho. And we took advice from a HUMAN! Boo He Ho!"

"Bah. Remind me to never listen to you again."

"Same to you, he ho!"

"Same to you!"

And they were gone, vanished seemingly into thin air. Isamu blinked and stared at the place where'd they been just a few seconds ago.

. . . _Okay.__.__. that was . . . what was I just talking to!  
><em>

And then he was spinning on his heels, stampeding up the stairs, out of the basement into the light of the hospital lobby. Chiaki glanced up at him as he ran past.

"Oh, there you are, Isamu. Kashima's finally arrived, he should be –"

"Not now, Chiaki!" He sprinted straight past her, up onto the second floor, as fast as his legs could carry him. He picked a door, completely at random, and cowered in a corner. He was still there when Naoki finally found him, curled up in a ball, whispering to himself.

"I DO believe in spooks, I DO believe in spooks. . ."

"Isamu?"

"I DO I DO I DO I DO I DO. . ."

"Isamu, are you okay?"

"HUH?" Isamu froze in mid "I do" and glared at Isamu. "Jeez, you scared the crap out of me, Naoki!"

"Oh, sorry."

"Man, what a drag. You're late, you come here and cause trouble, startling me like that. ..bah. "

"Sorry."

"Eh, never mind" Isamu checked to ensure his hat was well positioned. "I suppose her highness sent you up here, while she waited in the hall? I've been looking for Ms Takao everywhere, but damn, this place is deserted. It'd better not be under quarantine. . . they could have at least put up a notice or something so visitors aren't clueless.

Naoki glanced around nervously. "Maybe something happened. . ."

"Maybe. I've searched everywhere in this place except the basement, but there's another place next door. So she could still be here. You sure the phone call's legit? That this is the right hospital?"

Naoki held the message up, cell phone and all. "It's definitely her. I've tried to call her, tell her we're here, but she won't answer."

"Great, just great. Well, you'd better head back down to Her Highness, you know how a woman of her breeding hates to be kept waiting. Girl's probably just as mad at me because I've been gone so long."

"You're not coming too?"

Isamu shook his head. "Not just yet – I need to sniff out a key card. The basement and the annexe are restricted and need separate cards to enter them."

He waved Naoki off. "See you in a bit, Naoki. I really hope this is nothing to be worried about. . . "


	3. Apocalypse

Chapter 2: Apocalypse

"No luck finding Ms. Takao," Isamu informed them as he walked down the stairs. "I even checked the men's toilets."

Chiaki groaned. "I didn't need to hear that. Kashima and I are in a conversation anyway, so don't interrupt."

"Sure, whatever. . ."

Naoki gulped, wondering if it was possible to block your ears without being noticed, but eventually decided it wouldn't help. The evil would still be able to get in through his nostrils and mouth, anyway, All he could do was lean as far back on his chair as possible and try not to hear too much of what was being said.

"So Kashima, like I was saying, this Hijiri guy reports that there's the super evil cult in Japan, right here in Tokyo, that is planning on causing the end of the world. They've apparently got this book of prophecy, called the Scripture of Miroku, that says that "Chaos will befall the world", and they're actually trying to make it happen. The reporter didn't know what that meant, whether it was like a terrorist attack or an assassination of the world's leaders.. . "

"Let me guess, more to come in the next issue, right?" Isamu smirked, but the smirk quickly died when Chiaki shot a death glare at him.

"Do not interrupt again. But that's not the most disturbing part, Kashima – apparently this end of the World Cult has a base. . .and it's right here, in the basement of Shinjuku Hospital. See here: A hospital on the east side of Shinjuku is closely linked to their plans, but the reason is currently unknown."

"AAAAAHH!" Naoki shrieked. _I__'__m__ in __the __same__ place __as __a __Demonic __Cult. __I__'__m __breathing __their __air, __sitting __in __their __seats.__.__._ Only his worry about Ms. Takao prevented him from jumping up and sprinting out of the hospital then and there.

"Jeez, don't be so dramatic . . " Isamu sighed. "But you know .. . I have heard rumours about this place, like how they use to experiment on patients here, how they used the basement to house a cult. . . and how a psychic medium came here once to do a study, and saw something so awful she ran out the room screaming . . ."

_I__'__m__ not __hearing __this, __I__'__m __not __hearing __this__.__._ Naoki could have sworn the colour was draining out of his shirt, let alone his face.

Chiaki looked up from the magazine. "Really? I didn't know that. Kashima, you shouldn't have brought us here. There's definitely something wrong with this hospital."

"I'm sorry . . " Naoki cringed. "This is all my fault – I'm too much of a pathetic coward to come here on my own. I'm worried about Ms. Takao. Why . . . why did she ask us to come here? To this place?"

"We'll only know the answer if we can find her," Isamu replied. "Like I said before, there's only two places we haven't checked yet, the basement and the annexe. Naoki, you check the basement, I'm going to go check the annexe."

"Scared of going into the basement, Isamu?" Chiaki smirked.

"N-no, of course not!" Isamu stammered. "I'm one hundred percent positive that there's nothing down there – it's the safer job. That's why I'm sending Naoki down there! Whilst he's down there, I can meet Ms. Takao in the annexe and talk to her. . . about my schoolwork, of course."

"Suure .. . " Chiaki muttered.

Isamu tossed something at him.". "Here you go, Naoki – one key card for the basement. If you see anything scary, like a flying girl and a guy in a tinkly hat, then just run like hell, got it?"

"A flying girl and a kid in a tinkly hat?"

"Never mind! Just get down there, would you? If we don't find anything, then at least we'll know there's nothing bad here, right?"

"Oh. . . okay. Chiaki . . . what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stay here," Chiaki replied. "This'll be our meeting place, if either of you finds anything. Now, GO!"

Naoki took off sprinting. "Yes Maam! Right away!"

Chiaki sighed into her hands as he watched him leave. "Kashima. . . he's an absolute doormat. I just can't believe what I'm seeing sometimes."

Naoki just couldn't believe what he was seeing sometimes.

He had taken the stairs down the basement, just as Chiaki had told him to, and he hadn't been able to see anything because it was dark, a complete inky blackness. So he'd stumbled around, stepping on some sort of spilled liquid on the floor, then some sort of strewn paper. Whilst he's hands had waved around in an attempt to find his direction, he had cut his right hand on something sharp, like glass.

Then he'd managed to make his way to the access point, and swiped his card. The light flashed green with a satisfying tinkle. . .

. . . then the entire basement lit up as all its lights and screens switched on.

Naoki screamed.

The windows of the security station leading to the basement were broken, smashed into pieces. Everything was broken and in disrepair, from the crackling ceiling lights which flickered randomly, to the pieces of paper strewn haphazardly across the floor. The security monitors in the station were malfunctioning, showing nothing but a gigantic blue flash of light that made his eyes hurt when he stared at them. . . but more than that, there were the footprints on the floor, and the handprint on the wall.

They were in blood. And he'd stepped in it, cut his hand on broken glass, and the blood was even now dripping on to the floor from his cut hand, mixing with the blood already there. . .

He wanted to run. He really did. And he did run. But it was in the opposite direction – he ran forward, tearing through the basement complex. And in each new room there was a new horror, from some sort of occult symbol on the floor, to literal red flags surrounding said symbol on the floor. It was clearly a room used for deominc ritualistic prctises.

And the blood. . It was everywhere, on the walls, on the floor, on the medical instruments, on the pentagram. It was a sea of red that couldn't be escaped. He went through one room, then another and another.

It was on the fourth door that he tore open and burst into, looking around madly for more blood, that he finally found somebody. But it wasn't Ms. Takao, it was a man. A man in a black chair, with black hair and black clothes, sitting in a black room that was completely dark except for the glow of half a dozen computer screens.. He was sitting on the black chair, examining a tall pillar covered in bizarre symbols which seemed to pulse and vibrate.

". . ." Naoki tried to speak, failed, tried again. ". . . I-I'm sorry, I'm looking for – for someone."

The man didn't seem to have heard. Naoki didn't know whether this was a good or bad thing.

"Have. . have you seen my teacher? Her name is Ms. Takao, and I heard that something terrible had happened, and she –"

Finally, the stranger spoke. "A well known poet once said, April is the cruellest month. Why?"

"Wha – Huh?" Naoki blinked. "Uhh. . ."

The stranger answered the question for him. "Because it is then that must one must wake up from a long sleep, and face the brazen world." He spun around his chair, turned to face Naoki.

Naoki gasped, recognising the voice and face as that of a well known and generally well loved company executive. "You – you're Hikawa, that guy in charge of the communications company, the company that was in a fight over in Yoyogi Park . . that –"

". . . that was a simple front for the Gaea Cult and is now no more, it's members having been destroyed in the purge at the park," Hikawa replied. "You are not one of the followers. Who are you? Who dares to disrupt my stillness?"

"I'm . . . Naoki Kashima. . .sir. Sorry, I'll just leave. . ."

"Wait." The man held up his hand, revealing a small necklace firmly in his grip. "You said you came here to visit your teacher?"

"Yes. I heard she'd been in an accident, and I came here as soon as I could."

"Ah… I understand now. How . . . IRRITATING. Well. Since you've come all the way here, let me at least indulge your curiosity before you. .. go."

The man stood out from his chair and stared Naoki in the eye. He cringed beneath the glare.

"Now. Listen carefully. Looking back on the past, it is evident that the history of mankind is comprised of meaningless events. The worthless overgrowth of a civilisation blind to its sins, continuous bloodshed and war, and thousands of years of repeating the same mistakes again and again and again. Do you agree?"

"Uhh.. . " Naoki didn't know what to think. ". .. I guess. . . "

"Good. Then you too must agree that this world must be destroyed and start over from the beginning, sinking like a setting sun before a new world arises in its place?"

"Wha – I –"

"Think about it. It has happened before. Do you remember? A worldwide purging of mankind? Just as now, mankind had devolved into sin and vice, and was irredeemable. Therefore, God sent down a great flood to kill every last living thing, cleanse the world and start anew. And was it not foretold, in the book of revelation, of a great Apocalypse?"

Naoki stared, nodded.

"Yes it does. It is God's will, the way to salvation foretold in the Scripture of Miroku. I have spent the past few years putting god's will into action, and today is the day for it to be fulfilled. I pity you, boy… "

Naoki blinked. "Why. . . why do you pity me?"

_I'm being pitied by a madman. I'm staring at a freaking lunatic._

"I pity you as I do all of mankind's children who have gone astray. Yuko may have sent you here in an effort to redeem herself, but even a tiny pebble casts ripples when it is cast in water. "

He raised his hand, and the temperature of the room grew noticeably darker .. . . and then there was a . . .crackle? of electricity, emanating from the necklace in Hikawa's hand. . .

"What is. . ." The question froze in Naoki's voice, unfinished. Behind Hikawa, the pillar with the strange symbols began to spin and blaze, and at the top . . . there was a dark spot, an area of blackness, blacker than Naoki had ever seen in his life.

"Your life ends here!"

It materialized, and Naoki realized the horrible truth: The black spot was changing, morphing and altering its shape, until it seemed to coalesce into a figure.

A figure with a goat's head. . .and horns . . .and blazing red eyes of pure evil. . . and claws and teeth . . .and hair of burning flame . ..

_He's summoning a monster. He's summoned a monster to kill me.. He's SUMMONED A MONSTER!_

Naoki freaked, fell to the floor, his back crashing into the door that had shut behind him. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. . ." He knew he was blaspheming – something that he was not supposed to do. He hoped God would make an exception in the circumstances and forgive him.

"Do not be afraid, boy," Hikawa said, seemingly completely unfazed by the fact there was A GIGANTIC FUCKING DEMONIC MONSTER floating merely a meter above his head. "All of the inhabitants of this world will follow you before long.. . your end has merely come a bit sooner, that's all. . ."

But Naoki wasn't listening – he was recoiling, cowering onto the floor, fear flowing through him in a flood. _I __can__'__t __move. __I __have __to __run__ away,__ RUN__ AWAY, __but __I __CAN__'__T __MOVE!__ Oh __god__… __._

Hikawa frowned at the pathetic sight of Naoki curling up on the floor like a coward. "Fool.. . what a futile attempt. One should face their death honourably, not grovel around on the carpet. Baphomet! As your master and summoner, I order you to put this unfortunate–"

"STOP!"

The voice cut through everything – the fear, the darkness, the evil – and the monster vanished into thin air as Hikawa dropped his hand, banishing it to wherever dark dimension it had hailed from. Instantaneously, the pillar ceased spinning and returned to its normal state.

Naoki blinked in the sudden glare, glanced behind his shoulder, and found himself staring up at Ms. Takao, as she strode into the room and placed her hand on Naoki's shoulder.

"Wha. . . Ms. . . Takao. . . .? You're.-"

She was standing there, dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing earlier that morning when she was teaching the class. For an emergency admission to hospital, she looked strangely healthy and uninjured. It also appeared that she knew Hikawa.

Hikawa glared. "You brought him here."

Ms Takao nodded, taking out her handkerchief to staunch the bleeding on Naoki's hand. "Yes I did. What, can't you let just one person go? It'll have absolutely no effect on our plan. He's just one kid."

_Plan? Don't tell me that she's involved in - _"Ms. Takao, what 's happening? What's going on?"

Hikawa was defiant. "The insignificance of the gesture makes no difference. I will not allow any exceptions, for personal reasons or otherwise. If you didn't want to watch him die, then you shouldn't have brought him here. He would have died peacefully then, in complete ignorance of what you had done."

"What you've – Ms. Takao, please! What's he talking about?" Again he was ignored.

"If you don't spare him. . ." Ms Takao's eyes darkened. She raised her left hand to her throat. "Then I'll stop working for you. I'll go somewhere you can't reach, and I'll ruin everything for you."

Naoki gasped in disbelief, realized she was holding a knife.

_She__'__s__ going __to-_

He grabbed her by a leg, pulled at her pants. "Ms. Tak– No. . . NO! Don't do it!"

_Not again. No, don't' leave me. . . Please!_

"Foolish woman," Hikawa snarled. "You'll turn your back on EVERYTHING we've done, purely because of this youth!"

"I WILL! I WILL do it if you don't save him!"

"You're bluffing!"

She smirked at him. "I'm doomed anyway, aren't I? You said it yourself – the world is going to end today, no matter what I do – but you need my help to recreate the world. If I die, all of your little plans fall apart – a cult leader's no good without a cult to boss around, after all!" She pressed the knife closer to her throat, drew blood.

"Grrr…." Hikawa frowned, lookng as though he was about to summon the goat monster or something worse. . . but then he spun his chair back around so that his back was to them. "Such a troublesome maiden. Very well, I'll leave the teaching to the teacher. Kindly leave this room at once, you pitiable coward. I wish to enjoy this blissful end in complete solitude and silence. That is, without cowardly whining.."

Naoki stared up at Ms Takao, who smiled back down at him, returning the knife to wherever it had come from "Naoki, let's go."

"Go? Go where?"

"Up to the roof – we'll have a good view of the city from there."

"Why? What's going to happen?"

"It's better if you see it with your own eyes. . . that which will change the world. . . come, we have to hurry."

Naoki stood up, rubbed his sore hand and tried to tuck his jacket around him, a defensive gesture he often did when he was nervous, or in this case completely scared shitless. But he had forgotten that he wasn't wearing it, that it was still folded around Chiaki's feet. He shrugged, followed Ms Takao out the door anyway.. "Okay. .. "

_I__'__ll __follow__ you__ anywhere, __Ms.__Takao. __Just __don__'__t __leave __me._

The two of them entered the elevator together, taking it up to the roof. Behind them, as the door closed, a small boy with long blond hair walked out from seemingly nowhere. With him was an old woman, holding his hand securely and wearing a veil which completely covered her face.

The boy pointed at the departing couple.

"What's wrong, young master? Ah, are you wondering about those people that just left?"

In answer, the boy cupped his hand around his mouth, then whispered to the old woman and she tilted her head to listen.

". . . Oh. I see. My, my. . . really?"

The boy nodded.

"I see. But, we're busy at the moment. . . we'll meet him later…"

And just like that, they were gone. It was almost like they were never there.

Up on the roof, the elevator door opened. Yuko Takao came out first and walked over to the edge of the roof, admiring the incredible view before her – you could see the whole city scape from here. She turned back to Naoki, smiled, and extended her hand, beckoning him over. Hesitantly, he followed. She smiled brighter as he came to stand by her side.

"I'm so glad I made it to you back there, in the basement."

"Yeah, me too." Naoki replied, cheerier now that he'd finally found her again. "I still don't understand much, though. .. What happened back there? What was that terrible monster?"

"A demon," Ms. Takao replied, causing Naoki to gasp. "Hikawa tried to kill you by summoning a demon, just like he did in the park when the others tried to stop him. He and I, we're the only ones left of the Cult of Gaea."

"What? Ms. Takao . . .you? You're part of a demonic Cult!"

"Yes, Naoki. But please, let me explain."

"Oh . . okay, Ms. Takao."

It had to be a mistake. Cult members dressed in black and had piercing and tattoos and hooded cloaks. They were evil people who skulked around dark alleys and smoked drugs and drank alcohol and had unprotected . . . procreation. They were people like Hikawa who were rude to strangers and immediately tried to murder them with supernatural powers. They were not like Ms. Takao, his teacher, who was nice and friendly and cared for him.

"Thank you.," she smiled, as though she'd heard his thoughts. "Naoki. You heard what Hikawa said, right?" Naoki nodded.

"Good. It's called the Conception . . .the destruction, then rebirth of the world. . . an event which no human has ever witnessed before and may never again. It was foretold in the Scripture of Miroku – for every world, there is a tipping point of sin, a point of no return, if you will, when the world has to be destroyed., it has to start again from the beginning. Naoki, this world is too far gone – the tipping point has passed. We can't save it, Naoki. . . we have to let it . . .die.

Naoki stared. ". . . What?"

"Look . . " she whispered. Naoki looked out over the balcony, beheld the City of Tokyo in all its glory. .The sky, previously bright and sunny, had started to darken. "It's starting. . . "

"Huh?"

"In a few minutes, every living thing on this world is about to perish. Everyone except those in this building are about to die. Shinjuku Hospital will be immune to it, but every other living thing on this planet will perish and disappear. . . even the people who will hate me for doing such a terrible thing…. But it's too late, too far gone."

Naoki couldn't believe what he was hearing. The end of the world? As in, THE end of the world? Right now? Today! But. . . but he was too young! He was only fifteen and he hadn't married anybody! Why now? Why couldn't it wait until he was eighteen, could marry, could lose his virginity, could truly love somebody beyond mere kisses without feeling like God was staring at him?

She was still taking – not talking to him, especially – more to the world in general. "I've known that it would be my fate to survive the Conception, to bear the burden of the old world's sins and nurture the next world in its rebirth. It will be in a state of limbo until someone fertilizes it with their ideals. That shall be my task – I will be the Maiden of Stillness – the one who shall return light and order and hope to the world."

Naoki wasn't completely comprehending – he was still stuck all the way back at the bit where everybody was about to cark it. Everyone except . . ."Is. . . is that why you brought me here?" Naoki asked, slight irritation in his voice as he began to grasp the reality of the situation. "To live? To live through a disaster!"

The temperature was dropping. A few seconds ago it had been a balmy 26 degrees. Now he was breathing out steam and beginning to tremble more from cold than from nervousness. Ms Takao remained seemingly unaware of any discomfort, content to merely stare out at the darkening sky.

"The whole world is about to die," he snarled through chattering teeth, "and the only one you wanted to save was ME?"

_She wants me to survive the freaking apocalypse. Not my friends, not my . . . family, not anybody else, just me._

_Just me and her._

_Oh, and Hikawa. _

A deep swallowing as she didn't answer for several minutes. Then finally:

"Yes. I didn't want you meet the same fate as the others. I wanted to help you hold onto your life, give you a chance you've never had. "

"Why did you do this, Ms. Takao?" Naoki was insistent. "Why did you do such a terrible thing? Why you? Why are you –" She shook her head, and Naoki could see the first vestige of. . .tears? Yes, they were tears, falling from her face. His fury was quashed instantly and his heart melted. He spoke again, this time in a softer tone. "Ms. Takao. . . you're crying. . . "

"Yes, I am," She replied. "I'd promised myself, that I wouldn't shed another tear, not even at the world's end… and I told myself that I wouldn't have any regrets. . . but it still hurts. I defied fate and brought you here, in order to let you live. It's a terrible thing to do, isn't it? What a terrible person I am."

Naoki tried to protest, tried to tell her it was a lie, but suddenly he couldn't speak, because in that instant he realized that it wasn't a lie. She WAS a terrible person,

_She's going to kill everyone. She was going to kill Chiaki and Isamu too . . . she wanted me to come alone. She doesn't realize that they'll survive too because they're here. . But WHY? They're her students! You're supposed to protect your students, aren't you?_

"How. . ." he whispered. "How could you do it, Ms. Takao?"

"Because. . . we're the same. . ."

Yes, they were, Naoki remembered now. They had been drifters, trying to find a place in a world that didn't fit them. Naoki Kashima didn't fit in – he didn't have something the others had, something important – where the others had happiness and trust, he had only an empty hole that tore at him constantly. He knew he was damaged, that something terrible had broken within him that nobody could see. That nobody could understand.

Then he'd spoken to her one day, or she'd spoken to him – he couldn't remember now, and she'd asked questions of him that he didn't want to answer. He'd tried to brush her off, thinking that she'd be like everybody else. But she wasn't – she was a kindred spirit, who had also lost something important and now had a terrible aching loss within her as well.

Two people – a student and a teacher – two inherently damaged and shattered people inside, felt a connection. A connection of loss, of terrible grief that each tried to hide to the world but tore at them so much that it was oftentimes unbearable. They were two shattered people, 2 halves of a person. . . but when they were together . . it was as though they were whole again, the pain of the other's sorrow would fade when they were in each other's presence.

"Yes. . . yes, we are", Naoki replied.

Ms. Takao nodded, smiled, wiped her face. "" Look at me – I'm trying to be kind to you, but I end up hurting you anyway. Living through the conception will probably be even more painful than death, and I'm supposed to bear the sins of this world alone. . . but I can't. I just' can't." The tears came freely, now.

"I've done terrible things, Naoki, things I can't tell you because I don't want to cause you more pain. I've tried to do the right thing, tried to help people, but it's all gone pear shaped and fallen flat on its face. I can only hope that the end will justify the means. If I can return the world to light and goodness, so that nobody has to feel what you and I have experienced in our life. . . all the pain and sorrow. . .

Then it will all be worth it, in the end."

"You – Ms. Takao . .. I don't. . . "

"I know how difficult it is for you to understand, Naoki. . . I promise, if you can find me in the new world, I'll tell you everything. . . the answers to all your questions. . . and what my true feelings are. . . "

She turned then, looked him straight in the eye, wiped her tears. "Naoki, please believe me.. No matter what happens to the world, I'll be your strength. I'll provide you with guidance. I know how strong you are, that you'll be able to survive when everybody else falls, I know that you'll never give up on your dream of happiness. I believe in you, Naoki.."

"I know, Ms. Takao." He was crouched onto the ground, trying to stop himself from shaking. "It's cold. . . "

Ms Takao followed him to the ground, wrapped her arms around him in a hug, held him close. "I know. . . don't worry, Naoki."

They stayed like that, student and teacher in an embrace, as the sky continued to darken until the sun had gone completely.

For several seconds, nothing happened. In the distance, he could hear the sound of thunder, the sudden silence of Tokyo as the electricity went out and all of humanity came to a sudden pause. He knew that below them, people would be peering out from their offices and homes, curiously looking up at the sky, wondering, not comprehending.

"I'm scared… ." he whimpered. There was a strange sensation in the air, a vibration of the building and the air – almost like an earthquake, but more subtle, and it was dark, completely dark. He could FEEL Ms Takao hugging him, could feel her tears dripping onto the back of his neck. . . could feel his own arms wrapped himself, but he couldn't see anything.

_The sun. . . where is the light? I can't see… where is -_

"AAAAHHHH!"

Then there was light, blinding light that tore at his eyeballs even when he shut his eyes in an effort to stop the blinding glare, but through his eyelids he could see an unbelievable sight.

_The sun has fallen, fallen from its usual position in the sky! _

It was true! Where before the sun was a mere speck in an ocean of blue, it was now a roaring ball of white hot flames that seemed to take up the entire sky, as though it was hovering just meters up from the ground. All that it beheld in its vengeful glare was set aflame – animals, humans himself.

_I'M BURNING UP!_

He screamed, tried to curl into a ball to escape the glare. Dimly, he could hear screaming from everywhere, on the ground, behind him, from Ms. Takao . . the whole world was screaming, it seemed. And he was burning, incinerating, burning alive, his shirt catching fire and burning chunks of his back, and he screamed from the pain. Plants shrivelled and died where they stood, everything from singular blades of grass to fifty foot tall trees. The people. . . Naoki couldn't see what had happened to the people, but he somehow knew that they were gone, evaporated where they stood. 2 Seconds, 4 seconds, 8 seconds and still it went on.

The noise. . . the silence of a few seconds ago was gone, traded for deafening noise, as buildings swayed, buckling under some unnatural strain, and gigantic fissures were ripped in the ground. Some of the buildings held out, the Hospital remaining still and silent, as though unaffected, but other buildings, even those more structurally sound, were not as fortunate. They were crushed like tin cans, thrown into the air.

Then came the laughter. The laughter of a million insane minds that couldn't be human, and the screeching and cackling of infernal voices as if the gates of hell had been swung open. Naoki cringed, tried to look up, but was instantly forced back down.

"Don't look," Ms Takao instructed, shouting in an effort to make herself heard above the noise around them..

"IT HURTS! IT HURTS! Ms Takao, what's –"

"DON"T LOOK!"

He didn't and he couldn't, Ms. Takao making sure of the deal by pinning him to the ground beneath her and covering him with her body. He flailed and struggled against her, punching and kicking her in his panic and agony, oblivious to her own discomfort as he rolled. Finally he managed to roll completely over and found himself face to . . . and his hands were .. . .

_OH HELL NO!_

_I'm burning in hell. I'm burning in hell. I'm burning in hell._

. . . he pushed her back, gasped for air and clawed for his eyes in the misguided belief that if he couldn't see the horrible, indecent thing he'd just done, then she couldn't either. It whilst he was clawing that he finally cracked an eye open, stared as Ms Takao, who had now repositioned herself that it was her face now that was eye level with him. She was sobbing.

Behind her, he could see the sky – a sky full of flying buildings and blood and gore that spun around and around a gigantic shining sphere that pulsed in time with his own heartbeat, and in time with his head, which was hurting now, and he felt tired. . . so tired. . .

The sky was flashing now, flashing in colours of blue and black and orange and white, causing everything to turn those colours. He glanced as Ms. Takao – she was leaning back against him, her eyes closed, and he saw for the first time that the terrible burning had burnt her as well, that by lying atop him she had taken the brunt of the fire, and she had passed out from the pain.

"Ms.. . Takao . .. "

It was all too much for him. The stress from the train, the caffeine from the drink, the terror in the basement, the shock of seeing a gigantic goat headed evil demon trying to kill him, the sheer unbelievable fact that the WHOLE FUCKING WORLD had just ended, the pain from the sun, the bizarre feeling he'd just felt lying next to his teacher as she held him close and when he found himself face first in her –

Too much. His eyes were rolling back into his head and losing focus. The world was blurring, and the noise was becoming an indecipherable whoosh of sound, and he was tired. . . so tired. . . too tired to fight it off, and he was gone, gone spinning into darkness . . .


	4. Nightmare

Chapter 3: Nightmare

Darkness into Light.

He was falling. He couldn't see anything but dizzying brightness, couldn't speak, couldn't hear anything above the rush of air. The sun was above him, engulfing his vision, burning his body in light. It was still pulsing, throbbing in time with his heart and his head, and he tried to go back, go back to nothingness, but then there came a voice.

**You who are about to enter my domain, Show me your soul.**

_I__-__I__'__m__ hearing__ the__ voice__ of __the __sun._ _The __sun__'__s __talking__ to __me.__ I__'__ve __finally __gone __insane._

His mind and body was pulsing, burning, and images began to flash before him, images from the sea of his soul that he'd forever wanted to forgot.

A small boy. A young man. A woman. Another woman. A rope. A kiss. Feelings of horror, feelings of despair, feelings of happiness, feelings of love.

"No . .. no. .. " he whimpered.

**I have no need of such useless memories. Show me more.**

More images, clearer now, of events that had occurred in his life, memories good and bad, emotions he'd tried to forget. . . emotions of anger and of happiness and of loneliness and of things he'd tried to do, but there was nothing of his own desires, only the desires of other people and his attempts to make them happy, but they didn't always become happy. He did what he was told, tried to be a good boy, tried to do the right thing, but it was never for himself. It was always for others, whether for God or for his teacher or for his friends.

**. . . This cannot be.**

"No, no, no," he whimpered again. "Get. . . get out of my head!"

**You have nothing in your heart. Not even a hint of reason.**

"Help me," he whispered. "Isamu. . . Chiaki . . . Ms . . .Ms Takao . . ." he needed them, needed them to tell him what to do. He was powerless on his own.

**For one who is destined to shape the world, this is unacceptable.**

He fell faster, away from the sun, away from the light, into a world of darkness and pain.

**GO! Explore this world. Find yourself. . . .**

* * *

><p>Light into Darkness.<p>

"Wake up, young man. . ."

His eyes snapped open, hammered open. _What.__.__.what__ is.__..__What__ is __this?_

It was dark again, dark everywhere, but he could see them clearly - a small boy with long blond hair, and an old woman with a veil that almost completely covered her face. It didn't make sense – it was so dark that he couldn't even see his hands, but he could make out every detail on the strange couple before him.

_Am I dead?_

The boy whispered something into the old woman's ear. Naoki had no clue what he was saying, but from the way the woman's eyes glittered, he began to worry.

"Young man," she said. "It pleases me to inform you that my master has chosen to give you a gift."

"A. . . .a gift?" Naoki croaked out the words. His mouth was dry, like he'd swallowed fire. Everything hurt.

"Yes. A very rare gift. Poor human, he has taken quite a liking to you and is willing to help you live."

"Live . . . How. . . how can a gift help. . . ?"

"Please do not move. . . this is going to be a trifle unpleasant."

She came towards him, held him down, and Naoki was stunned.

_I'm being held immobile by a woman damn near 80 years old._

Either her strength or her weight was incredible – he couldn't tell which, but whatever it was it immobilised him completely. But it didn't prevent him moving his mouth, and it didn't prevent him from seeing the little boy walk over, stand over him.. .

Then hold out a long, centipede like insect, with the biggest snappy things on its head he had ever seen.

"Wha. . . what's that?"

"Do not worry. . .the pain will be over soon," the old woman told him soothingly. It didn't work.

"WHAT?" Naoki was very concerned now.

"Please understand. . . the world you are about to enter now will be harsh, extremely harsh. It is vital that you receive this gift. You will not be able to survive this new world as you are now."

"What do you mean. . . as I am now. . ."

"You cannot survive in this world as a human, so we are going to change you into a demon. Now, just stand still for a little bit, please."

It took several precious seconds for that information to sink in, for his mind to figure out what the old hag had just said to him.

This will change you into a demon.

CHANGE YOU.

INTO

A DEMON.

. . .

_No. . . _

_Fuck no . . .._

"FUCK HELL NO!"

He swore. Naoki was not a boy who swore that often – only evil people did that – but the situation couldn't really be described any other way. He did not want to be a demon! He went berserk - he screeched, he thrashed, he scratched, he bit, he kicked, he flailed, his strength magnified a million fold as he tried to escape. everything in his body fighting against the woman, his mind, body and soul rebelling about what he'd just heard. One hand managed to snake free from the woman's grasp.

, "Nooooo, NOO NO NO NO NO NOOOO!" he repeated it over and over again, as though the word itself would be able to get him out of this situation, a magic key to make everything go away.. "No, no, no, no, no, no.. . I wont' let you change me into a – a – NO!" He had a crucifix, a little cross that he always wore around his neck and he held it out now, held it at the Old Hag. "By – by the power of god, I banish you, demon!"

The blonde haired boy, who'd been silent all this time, finally made a noise. A snort, a little cough of amusement, as he leant down and grabbed the Crucifix, took it off Naoki's neck, admired the pretty little ornament. . .

Then snapped it in half and threw the pieces away. Naoki gasped in disbelief.

_This. . . this isn't happening! I'm asleep. This isn't really happening, it's just a nightmare. A really, really vivid nightmare, but still just a nightmare._

But even in his nightmares, Naoki didn't want to become a demon. He continued to fight them, but this only made the Old Hag hold him down tighter, immobilising his arms this time, so that all he could do was attack them with his voice, dropping bombs of profanity that would have likely resulted with serious beatings back with his current foster parents.

"You . . . you mother fuckers! I HATE YOU!"

When that didn't work, he tried pleading instead, pleading for his life, for his humanity. "Please. . . please no, please. .. I don't want to be a demon . . .PLEASE!"

"Don't move," the old woman told him, ignoring his pleas. Naoki didn't listen, continued to thrash around. So far, anger, pleading and wailing hadn't worked. He needed to think of something else, and quick.

But her strength was overwhelming – he couldn't move. All he could do was watch as the awful cintepedy thing flailed in the air, held by the boy in one hand, it's gigantic sharp bits snapping in anticipation. . .

_What on earth are they going to do with that thing?_

"ISAMU! CHIAKI! YUKO! HELP ME! PLEASE!" He screamed out their names, not even realizing that in his panic he had spoken Ms. Takao's first name by mistake. "Please.. . ." He whispered. "Please help me. . . somebody. . . anybody. . . "

"We are," the old woman told him.

Then the boy had let the centipedey thing go and it was falling towards him, cart wheeling through the air as though in slow motion, doing two full rotations as it came closer and closer and closer . . . and landed on his face. It was cold, clammy, felt like an iceblock with one hundred legs, and it was scuttling, across his nose, sniffing (did it even have a nose? Naoki is pretty sure that centipedes don't), trying to seek out _something_ but he didn't know what. It wasn't very big, had to be only ten centimetres at the longest, but it's gigantic snapping things (mandibles?) were very large and they were coming up to his right eye, so he was getting a very good look at how sharp they -

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!"

Then it was biting him, biting into his eye, its immense snapping things closing and ripping great chunks out of it and he screamed, screamed blue freaking murder because THE GAINT CENTIPEDE WAS DIGGING INTO HIS EYE. His head flew back and thudded against whatever it was behind him and he screamed, screamed until he was running low on oxygen and his scream turned into a high pitched squealing.

_I__'__m__.__.__. __I__'__m__ screaming__..__.__like __a __girl__… _said a tiny part of his mind that was strangely rational enough to worry about such trivial things.

He was crying now, crying with his good eye, tears streaming down his face, and his tears ran and his nose ran. He tried to raise his hands, tried to claw at his eye, but his hands were pinned out and to his sides, and he couldn't move them so he tried to shake his head back and forth but that didn't work either. He could bang his head backwards so he tried that, over and over again, to little effect other than getting quite the headache. And he kept screaming, as he felt the centipede burrow further until it had burrowed THROUGH the eye, and he couldn't see through it anymore, he couldn't see anything anymore, and he screamed with renewed vigour at the horrible, unbelievable, unspeakable, unforgettable, excruciating agony.

There was pain in his mouth, just as there was pain everywhere else, and dimly the rational part of his mind informed him that he had bitten his tongue, bitten it clean in half in his agony, so now he was mute as well as blind.

_Great, just great._

He was still convulsing, still shaking, his nails digging into whatever they could, and he had pissed himself, every sphincter he possessed opening wide in horror, but he was too preoccupied to notice. He couldn't breathe. He was dying. Now the pain was spreading, down his face and through his arms, and his mouth screeched incoherently and he tried to will himself to die, to fall asleep, to end this, but it wouldn't and it didn't happen. He was awake, and aware. God, was he ever aware!

_Mother!_

It was a word he had not thought of in a long time, but he thought of it now, used it as a mantra in an attempt to distance himself from the pain. _Mother, __Mother,__ mother, __mother,__ mother,__ mother.__.__._

His strength was flowing out of him. His soul was flowing out of him. Everything was flowing out of him. It was all going away now, with each increasingly desperate gasp of air that rattled through his chest. He was dying. And he was looking forward to it, because it would be an end, a finality, and everything would stop.

He didn't know at what point it was that he finally lost consciousness. Only that he did and he was gone from this world, just as this world was gone from him. He had flowed out of his body, leaving behind an empty shell that twitched and writhed and gurgled. . .

. . . and transformed.

After it was all over, the two figures stared down at him, their expressions unreadable.

"Looks like a success," The old hag said to the young boy, who nodded. "I never doubted you, young Master – it's clear that you can see something in him that others cannot. Let's take him back to the hospital. It is only fitting that he recovers in a medical facility, after all."

The boy looked up at the old hag, whispered something into her ear.

"Yes - I agree. There is much work to be done. We must move quickly, now, or everything will be delayed."

She looked down at the unconscious youth, knowing that he couldn't hear her, that he was trapped in his nightmares.

"Sleep well, little Hito-Shura. My master will always be watching you, so don't disappoint him. . . ."

It would be a long time before he woke up again, but that was okay. In this new existence, he would have all the rest of eternity.

* * *

><p><em>His eyes opened, and he wasn't sure at first what had woke him up, but he was awake now and he felt ill. For several seconds he simply lay there, trying to go back to sleep. There was nothing. No sound, no reason for him to be awake, but he was. He couldn't tell how late it was, but he presumed it to be really late, as it was dark.<em>

_Mother wouldn't want me to be awake. It's past my bedtime._

_So he tried to fall asleep, but he couldn't – he was feeling this strange, unbelievable sense of dread, that made him feel like he had to get up, make sure everything was alright. Because somehow, some strange sixth sense, had told him that something was very wrong._

_A sound!_

_There was a great crash, and suddenly a whooshing of wind, and he was up, out of bed, stumbling around in the dark, searching for his bedroom light. _

"_Mother?" He asked the darkness. It didn't answer._

_He was scared now – there had been a crash, a terrible noise, and his imagination began to work overtime._

_It's a demon. It's a terrible monster that comes to take naughty boys like me away. _

_His mother had told him about them, told him how he must always be a good boy and read his bible before going to bed, or the demons would get him, but he hadn't that time – he'd been too tired and he thought it was just a book and nobody would notice and even if somebody did they wouldn't be too angry, but obviously someone was and he trembled._

_I'm scared._

_He had to go to mother's room. She'd be able to fight off the demon. She'd tell the demon that her son was a good boy, and that he was protected by God, and anybody who was protected by God couldn't be touched by a demon, because demons were bad and God was good._

_Good always triumphs over evil, after all._

_He summoned his courage, found the bedroom light, switched it on. For several seconds his eyes were blinded, then they slowly adjusted to the glare, but he was so afraid. He called out to mother several more times, but she wouldn't come to him and he was too scared to go to her by himself._

_I'm not by myself. God's with me._

_But he couldn't see God and so he was still scared, but then he saw Teddy face planted on the floor. It must have fallen out of his grasp and landed on the floor during the night. He was calmer now – he could do anything with God and Teddy by his side, so he picked Teddy up off the ground and thus suitably armed, stepped outside his door into battle._

_Mother wasn't in her bedroom next door to him on the ground floor. He knew she'd been there when he went to bed, because he heard her crying. It was strange to hear a grown up crying and he'd wondered if she'd been teased and called a stupid head. That was usually the reason why he cried and he wondered who had been mean to her and if their grown ups had punished them. He also wondered if she was a sooky la. Whenever HE cried, he was being a sooky la, according to the other children. He didn't know what a sooky la was but he didn't like being called one and he doubted his mother would either. She had been crying for several days now and he didn't know why. She'd kept crying even when he offered her Teddy. _

_He wished he had a father – the other kids all had one and apparently one of the uses a father had was to stop mother crying and make her feel better. At first, he hadn't know what a father was. He had toy cars and Teddy, but no father, so he'd asked the other children what it was and what it was for. They'd told him so much about fathers and all the good things they could do that he'd sniffled and wanted one for his own, so he asked them how they got one. They said that their mothers would go hunting in the woods and set traps using something called beer as the bait. The fathers would go in, drink the beer and the mothers would go and trap them by sticking a magical ring around their fingers. This ring meant that the fathers would do everything the mothers said or she would the power of Mother-In-Law to punish them. He didn't know who that was. He briefly wondered if she was stronger than God._

_Where is mother? Was she upstairs? Why would she be upstairs?_

"_Mother?" he asked. "Mother, are you crying? Do you want to hold Teddy again?"_

_No answer. He continued to explore, came to the entrance room of the house where the stairs were. If she was upstairs, he'd have to go upstairs, but he needed to find the light. The stairs had a rail, a rail that extended up the side and all along the top to stop you falling over the edge because it was very high, but mother had told him not to climb stairs in the dark or bad things could happen and he could get hurt. So he searched for the light, found it, turned it on._

_Click._

_. . !_

_For a few seconds he stared, not comprehending what he was seeing. It was mother, on the wrong side of the rail, up above him, going back and forth as though she were on a swing, but she didn't have the swing seat underneath her and he was absolutely positive that there hadn't been a swing here before because having a swing in your house would be absolutely awesome. _

_Then he realized that she was in her nightdress and not wearing any panties and that he was staring up at her and that he was being very naughty, because only terrible people stared at women's bits and God didn't like those sort of people. So he averted his eyes._

"Oh, sorry mother. . . I didn't mean to look. . . "

_She was angry with him. So angry that she wasn't responding. She only did that when she was either really angry or really upset and either way it wouldn't be a good thing. But she was in a really weird place and she was doing a bad thing. She'd told HIM not to climb over the rail because it was dangerous, but now she had climbed over the rail herself and she was swinging underneath it, something he had never thought of doing but now sort of wished he had because it looked like fun, but that didn't matter because it was wrong._

"_Mother? Are you stuck?" She looked stuck. She was wearing his skipping rope around her neck and it looked very uncomfortable. He wondered why she was doing that and then wondered if maybe she didn't want to do that. Maybe she'd been trying to make him a swing, but something bad happened and now she was stuck and she needed his help._

"_I'll go help you, mother." He climbed up the stairs, holding the rail in one hand and Teddy in the other, When he arrived at where the skipping rope was tied, he realized that she was in a really tricky spot indeed. She was held up in the air only by the rope, and she was to far below it to get back up by herself, and he wasn't strong enough to pull her up._

_She couldn't go up. He didn't think she enjoyed being stuck there – that rope looked really uncomfortable around her neck. But maybe he could –_

"_I think I can cut the rope, mother . . . do you want me to do that?"_

_She wasn't answering him. He must have done something very awful for her to be this angry at him. He had better go help her right away. He ran off to the kitchen and brought back some scissors, but they didn't work, so he ran off to the kitchen again and got his personal knife that he used to eat with. That didn't work either, so he went back and looked at the grown up knife that mother always used – it was silver and much stronger than his little knife. So he tried that, but it didn't work. He began to despair, but then he remembered that there was another knife. It was the big knife, the really sharp one that she had warned him never to use. She had said she would be very angry at him if he used that one._

_But she was already angry at him, and none of the other knives worked. So he went and got the big knife, and he sawed at the rope and at first didn't look like anything was happening, but then the rope frayed and she was free._

_She fell. But as she fell she began to tilt through the air, and he realized with a start that she wasn't going to land on her feet like he thought she would. She landed on her head instead with a crash and just lay there, completely still, staring back up at him._

"_Mother. . .?" he whispered._

_He went down the stairs, leaving the knife where it was although that was naughty, and he went down to make sure she was okay. But she wasn't okay and he poked her and gave her Teddy to hold and she wouldn't look at him, her eyes were open but she wouldn't look at him or anything and he began to feel really bad._

"_Mother? Mother, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that to happen .. ." She wouldn't listen to him either. He began to poke her, began shouting and begging her to wake up but she didn't and he began to realize that she wasn't going to and that she'd left him all alone._

_Alone. _

"_Why, mother," Naoki whispered, not even realizing that he had just aged 10 years in an instant. It was fifteen year old Naoki that was holding her now, begging her to wake up, crying and sobbing. "Why did you leave me? Why did you go?"_

_His mother turned to him, opened her eyes. _

**To get away from you, DEMON CHILD.**

_And her eyes turned red and her hair caught on fire and her hands turned into claws and gigantic fangs burst out of her mouth and horns pushed out of her head and her head was not human anymore but a goat's head and now there was a gigantic ciintepedey thing coming out of her throat and coming towards him with gigantic mandibles and –_

_Naoki stared, recoiled, and began to scream. "Aaaaaaah…"_

_Then the room he was in began to blur and fade, slowly replaced by the rooms and walls of a hospital room. . ._

* * *

><p>". .. . hhhhhhaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!<p>

. .. and he was up, truly awake this time, clawing at his ruined eye where the cintepedy thing had destroyed it and he was flailing and screaming.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

His flailing caused him to roll completely off the hospital bed and he fell down thrashing and rolling on the floor, grappling with the sheet.

"AHHH!"

_The light! The bright blue light! It's burning me! I'm burning alive!_

He thrashed, screaming in pain as he remembered the terrible agony that had left him blind in one eye and mute and he screamed until he was hoarse.

It was only then that he came to the startling realization that you couldn't scream if your tongue had been bitten in two.

_. . . Huh?_

He opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue, tried to look at it but his nose was in the way, so he settled for touching it with his fingers. Yes. His tongue was definitely there.

_A. .. . nightmare. . . . it was just a . . . terrible .. . _

"Ah. . . ahaha. . . "

He couldn't believe it – it had been so real. He tentatively put his hand up to his face, covering his left eye, the one that hadn't been . . . destroyed, and looked around.

He could see just fine.

HE COULD SEE!

A smile appeared on his face, at first tiny but then growing in size at the same rate of his chuckle, which was at first merely a nervous giggle, but eventually transformed into him rolling around on the floor laughing in sheer relief.

"Ahahahahahahhaahhahahahah!"

God, what a terrible nightmare! Naoki made a mental note to never have that caffeine drink again – it was so strong that it had given him nightmares about a terrible basement and the world ended and a stujpid centipedey thing and Ms Takao being a part of – no, he couldn't even say it, it was so ludicrous. Why had he thought of such stupid things anyway?

Hijiri.

Yes, it was all that stupid Hijiri's fault, him and his rambling on about demonic cults in the hospital, had scared the crap out of him. Now he remembered – he'd met Chiaki in the lobby, she'd sent him off to find Isamu, Isamu had gone off to get the annexe key card, Naoki had . .. what had he done? Well, he'd obviously just gone to sleep here on this hospital bed. How llong had he been sleeping? His friends must be going ballistic right now, he'd better call them and tell them he was alright, then continue his search for Ms. Takao. _I hope she's okay_, he thought.

Wait a minute. . .

_Where's my phone?_

He dug his fingers into his pockets, came up empty. Where had it gone? Was it in his jacket? Where was his jacket, for that matter? Oh, yeah - he'd left his jacket with Chiaki in the lobby. Drat.

Well, he needed to meet up with his friends anyway, so he'd probably just pick up his phone when he was there. He grinned, as he thought of the conversation. "Hey guys, you wouldn't BELIEVE the dream I just had!"

Well, no time like the present. Naoki got up off the hospital table, slicked his hair back, then headed for the door, but before he could open it, he heard the sound of a throat clearing. Curiously, he looked around. . .

. . . and came face to face with a ghost, which was glaring at him. "Fuck man," It said. "You have some serious issues."

Naoki couldn't agree more.

"AAAHHHH!" He recoiled away from the ghost, landed flat on his ass and scooted away from it into a corner, rapidly blinking his eyes as he went in an attempt to make it go away. It didn't work. The ghost was still there, dressed in a business suit and tie, smoking a cigar as it watched his hasty retreat.

"Jeez, talk about overdramatic. Come on man, you think you've got problems? Look at me! I was fired, dumped by my girlfriend, and shot full of holes by a madman and his cult, all in the same day!"

"You – you – you- YOU'RE NOT REAL!" Naoki declared, hoping that the ghost would take the hint and vanish.

"How rude! That's not very nice to say to someone!" The ghost replied. "You can't just barge in here (half dead or not) and start antagonising the locals! I swear, youths this day, they've got no respect for us old fogies. One day you're a high executive and everybody likes you, the next you're dead and you get totally ignored!"

"Why. . . what . . . who . . . " He couldn't get his head around it. _I__'__m__ speaking__ to __a __GHOST. __A __GHOST. __Why __am __I __speaking __to __a __ghost?_

"What's with you, man?" The ghost told him. "You ain't never seen a lost soul? Been living your whole demon life in a cave, or what?"

"You – what did you call – There's a – here? Where? WHERE?"

"Where's a what?"

"Where's the – the - THE DEMON!" Naoki spat the word out, staggered around partly in an attempt to fight his nausea, partly in an attempt to make himself a harder target for God to hit with a divine lightning bolt. _It__'__s__ going __to __come.__.__.__any __moment__ now.__.__._

There was a long pause. Then the ghost poked a finger straight at Naoki's chest. "Right here."

And it all flashed back – Hikawa, the world ending, the centipede, the old hag and the young bastard. . .

_It actually happened. It's all true. I've been turned into a –_

"NO . .. nonononononononononononono. . ." Naoki began to whisper. "It's not true, it's not true, it's just a terrible nightmare… it didn't actually happen. . . I'm asleep. . . I need to wake up, someone pinch me. .. . OWW!" Naoki rubbed his arm desperately.

"Well, you asked. . . " the ghost said. "Man, you are one fucked up demon. Hate to tell you this pal, but you're in the wrong hospital. This one's for people sick in the body. The one you want's. .. oh, about half a k' that way."

_I've just been pinched by a ghost. How did I just get pinched by a ghost?_

"It didn't happen. It didn't! I'm not a – I'M NOT ONE OF THEM! I didn't see the world end! No!"

"Yeah you are, and yeah you did. What's the matter, slept through the apocalypse?

"This IS NOT HAPPENING!"

"Yes, already, I heard you the first time. Well, since you're so new at all, let me be the one to officially welcome you to the End of The World. Have a nice stay, see the sights, maybe eat a few humans whilst you're here, maybe even bring back a souvenir or two, just don't stay here and keep yelping. God, I've only know you for like two seconds and I already want to punch you in the face. If I knew eternity was going to be like this I really would have done more with my life . .. "

"I have to find Chiaki, Isamu. . . Mis. Takao . . SOMEBODY." He told himself. "I have to get out of here . . . get out of this place. . ."

"Yeah, don't we all." The ghost moved out of the way of the door as Naoki sprinted for it, "Well, nice knowing you . .. "

The boy was already gone, ripping open the door and stumbling through it. The ghost glanced at the door with disdain as it slammed shut in front of him.

". . . you weirdo."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes<p>

And on that note, welcome all! Black Snapper here. ,just wanting to take a moment to dance for joy, as this story has, according to this handy dandy little graph thingy, received 154 hits, 69 visitors and 6 reviews. Even more impressive, they continue into later chapters, which means people aren't just running away in terror at the gigantic warning plastered on the front. Big thank yous to: Hades378 , Lupus-Cantus-Grimoure , The Man Who Has No Life and Damien Black for your lovely reviews. A big round of applause to you all!

Now then: I'd like to hear your thoughts on the flashbacks. In my draft versions, they're littered absolutely everywhere through the story, for all of the major characters in the story, but I've come to realize that they, for the most part, could be classified only as filler - you can skip entirely over them and they don't really affect the story that much at all. I've kept this first one in (Naoki's nightmare after being demonified), since it seems to fit so well, but I'm thinking of either cutting the others out completely, trimming them up, or maybe even scooping the lot of them and putting them in a completely different fic. Thoughts, anyone?

Also, whilst writing through the fic, my brain seems to have gone through a defensive manoeuvre - every so often, completely random, OOC things pop up in my head. Sometimes they're plot holes filled in random ways, sometimes they're normally serious characters imitating different anime, sometimes they're just plain random stupidity. Since adding them into this story would absolutely ruin the flow, I've instead stuck them into my profile, which I update every time I update this story. Should I keep doing that, or would it be better to simply stick them here at the bottom, so that people can skip it if they need to?

Oh yeah, and keep an eye out for words running into each other, especially italic ones. For some reason, all of the spaces take off on a holiday when I upload these pages from Microsoft Word when they're in italics, and finding them all, especially in this chapter, was a total nightmare, if you'll parden the terrible pun. Ironically enough, it was Naoki's Nightmare that was the most nightmarish to fix - the ENTIRE section was mashed together, to my absolute outrage. That might be another reason I'm considering cutting out all the future flashbacks - they were going to be all in italics as well. It also ate my page breaks, but I think I've put them all back in. If the scene changes get a bit confusing, that's why.

Alright, that's all. Black Snapper, AWAY!

. . . Black Snapper, back again. Eheheheh, got a little carried away with the demonification process. Toned it down a bit.

Black Snapper, AWAY AGAIN!


	5. Comprehension

Chapter Four: Comprehension

_What. . . what is this. .. . WHAT IS THIS?_

It was although Naoki had gone through a doorway and landed in the ocean. One moment he'd been sprinting, desperately trying to get away from a ghost in a business suit, the next he was opening the door and stepping through it into the hallway. Now he was face down in a thick, viscous liquid that looked and smelled a lot like. . .

_IT'S BLOOD!_

And he was on his feet, his face shooting out of the water as he leaned back on his haunches, looking around him in terror as he took in the terrible sight before him.

This was not the corridor outside the hospital room he had been in– it was some awful, nightmarish world of swirling red mist, blood on the floor and red stuff pulsing through the walls. As he looked around, disembodied skulls floated, purple fog drifting back behind them, while burnt corpses shuffled and convulsed their way through the bloody water. . .

Too much. His body rebelled and he vomited, violently, into the water. He dropped down to all fours, curled into a ball as best as he could without drowning, and wailed, tears streaming out of his eyes.

_Hell. I've gone to hell. . . _

"Dear Lord Jesus Christ, our saviour and father," he whispered through his tears. This was not blasphemy this time but a prayer, a prayer on his knees with his head bowed and his hands in the correct position. "Please. . . please save me. . .Forgive me. . . Help me!" He was praying now, praying in tongues, an incomprehensible stream of babble spewing from his mouth as he pleaded and begged God.

What answered him, however, was not God. That he was 100% sure of.

**Stand up.**

It was a woman's voice, but not the old hag who had pinned him to the ground in servitude to that bastard of a boy. This was a younger voice, a vaguely familiar voice . . who was it. . .!

"Ms. . .Ms. Takao!" Naoki shouted. "Ms. Takao, is that you!"

**Stand up.**

He leaped to his feet. "Ms. Takao, where are you?"

**Come.**

"Through . .. through here?"

**Yes.**

He didn't want to do it. He wanted to go home, back to his home with the foster parents who didn't care about him and the bullies who beat him up and even the neighbours who played music all night long and kept him awake. He wanted to go home to them and he would be thankful for going home to them because it would not be HERE. In this nightmare.

But then he turned around, and he realized that escape was impossible – there was no room behind him, no normal hospital room with the freaky ghost in the business suit, no escape from here. If he wanted to escape, he had to go forward. Towards the voice. Towards Ms. Takao. Towards safety.

He took a step forward, then another step and another step. It was hard going – the blood was sticking to his shoes, and he tried not to think about the fact that it was probably on his face and in his hair as well, along with the vomit. No. He couldn't think about that. He couldn't think about the fact that he probably looked like a monster from a horror movie.

He had to find Ms. Takao. She said she would be his strength and his guidance. Everything would be fine when he found her.

Right?

Except that walking through the blood made a lot of noise, and the other. . . inhabitants of this place had heard it. The disembodied skulls, and the burnt corpses -. they were turning towards him now, and he began to hear mutters. "Magatsuhi. . . Magatsuhi. . . . Eat.. . ."

_Don__'__t __look__ at __them_, he told himself. _If__ you __don__'__t __look__ at __them,__ they __won__'__t __look__ at __you. __Just.__.__.__ignore__ them._

From the burned corpses he could see glimmers of hungry smiles, and the skulls – well, they couldn't smile anyway, but they were looking at him in a hungry manner. Naoki felt a chill. They were becoming difficult to ignore. "Ah. . . Ms. Takao . . "

**Show me.**

"Wha. . . what? What do you –"

**Show me your power.**

"What power?" The monsters were coming towards him now.

**The power of a demon.**

"No, no . .. I'm not . . . "

"Maaaaagatsuhi!" And they were upon him, rushing through the bloody path at a speed he couldn't believe and couldn't outrun and they were suddenly everywhere, biting him, scratching him, hitting him. He screamed, curled up in a ball as they rushed him, dragged him down and still they came until he was buried under a pile of monsters and covered in blood. Not just from the path he was standing in, but his own.

**Fight back.**

He was curling into a ball, cowering on his hands and knees, just as he did when the bullies at school attacked him, in an effort to look as least threatening as possible and to hopefully protect his vital bits. He whimpered to himself, "Ms. Takao. . . Chiaki . . . Isamu . . .God . .. somebody. . . help me, please."

**They can't help you. You must do it on your own.**

"I can't.. . "

**You must.**

Naoki shook his fists then yelled at the voice in fury, screaming at the top of his lungs. "I CAN'T!"

**I did not save your life just for you to die here! FIGHT BACK!**

"I. . . I can't. . . "

**RIGHT!**** NOW!**

That did it.

Naoki never had been one to defy direct orders. He'd never learned martial arts or any type of self defence and he didn't have any sort of weapon but it was now or never, he had to fight now or die so he shouted "RAAR Take that!" and lashed out at the horde on top of him, throwing a right hand punch at the nearest skull.

And that punch. . . a punch thrown out of desperation without any real strength put behind it, from a shrimp of a youth who had always been terrible at sports, coming last in every race he had ever been in, horrendously unfit and unable to run for more than a few minutes, the boy who was picked last in all team sports and lost at everything, the boy who had never fought back EVER, just let people stomp on him underfoot, that boy who was weak as HELL. . .

The punch went straight through the skull, smashing it to pieces, then following through and taking out three more skulls as it moved through the air in a blur. It was although the skulls were made of little more than potato chips, it was so easy. Just one swing – whoosh – and that was that. He stared at the skulls he had smashed, the pieces falling into the water and staying there, the purple mist dissipated.

**Very Good. Keep going.**

He climbed to his full height, shook himself free, threw the skulls and burned corpses off of him, got himself into a sorry excuse of a fighting stance, just in time to be knocked off his feet by a second wave, this time the burned corpses, with blacked limbs and exposed yellow bones. They were running towards him now, punching and kicking and biting him and he punched and kicked and bit back, grappling with corpses and rolling around, waving his hands around randomly with no real idea of what he was doing, but it didn't MATTER! He was ploughing through bone and muscle and sinew and the corpses and skulls were falling like rain as his punches blew holes in them, but there was more and more, and he kept swinging – a corpse fell and twitched in the bloody pool and he freaked out and kept punching it until he'd hacked the thing to pieces.

Then finally it was over, silence except for Naoki growling like a wild beast, not even breathing heavily from the exertion or the pain. He was alone again, alone except for the smashed skulls and crushed limbs and suddenly it finally occurred to him that he'd just done something he shouldn't have been able to do.

_What . . .. what is . . . How did – Why – How – How did I just do that!_

For the first time since waking up, he looked down at himself, really looked at himself, looking for anything different.

He saw something different alright - he was RIPPED! The puny, shrimp-like body he'd been afraid to show during showers at school was gone, replaced by a body of pure muscle and sinew that he'd only ever seen on TV by famous sportsmen. He was so astonished that for a few insane moments he completely forgot about the nightmare he was in the middle of and did several poses, showing off his muscles to an imaginary audience and checking out his new bulging biceps. He did a few practice punches in the air, stared in disbelief as they moved in a blur, much faster than should have been possible.

_Woah!  
><em>

He wasn't sure if it was the sun that had burnt it off him, or whether it was that his muscles were now too big to be contained – but he'd somehow lost the shirt he'd been wearing - only a few strands of tattered black cloth remained. He wasn't cold though and his shirt was now useless, so he discarded the miserable remains among the corpses of the monsters he had destroyed.

Not killed – destroyed. They're just skulls and corpses, after all. He hadn't really killed them. He wasn't a murderer.

That wasn't the only change, though – his skin was now covered with glowing tattoos, tattoos that spread out from a . . .horn! at the base of his neck, just above where his neck met his shoulders. The markings were all over his body, faintly glowing blue and black tattoos on his arms, his legs, his hands, everywhere he could see. He thought, briefly, of taking off his shoes, belt and pants to see just how far the tattoos DID extend, but eventually decided against it.

"What's happened to me?" He said aloud.

**He has given you power.**

"Power?"

**The power of Magatama.**

_Well, __that __didn__'__t __explain __anything._

"I don't understand. . . what is Magatama? What is this place? Why do I have glowing tattoos on my stomach? How did I beat those monster things?"

**You are in the depths of Amala, and your markings symbolise your bond with the Magatama - the demonic parasite given to you by our Lord, known as the Magatama Marogareh, the sphere formed from primal chaos. It is the very essence of demonic power. **

"What.. . parasite?" He remembered now, that horrible thing with the snappy jaws that burrowed into his eye, dropped by. . .

_THAT__ BOY!_

"You mean, that centipedey thing –"

**Yes. It has merged with your body. You have now joined the ranks of demons.**

"I'm . . .a . . . a . . . . ?" He couldn't finished the sentence, as though speaking the question would turn it into fact. Luckily, the voice of Ms. Takao seemed to understand what he was trying to ask.

**Your body is now that of a demon, yes. However, your heart is still your own, still human. You are only a Demi Fiend, half demon.**

"No. . . I don't want to be a. . .I didn't want you to. . . I'd rather have died. .. I don't want to be a DEMON!"

Something broke inside him. Something fell apart. It was as though the very word "demon" had been the catalyst, a key to the transformation that had taken place. Something fell apart, and in its place something was forming. . . something dark .. . something red. Not red like blood, but red like fury. He began to slam his fists into the bloody water, anger surging through him. . "D- damn it. . . Damn it… damn you. . . DAMN YOU! DAMN ME!" He was covering his mouth the minute he said it, shocked that he'd actually yelled at Ms. Takao, his anger momentarily quelled.. "I . . .I'm sorry Ms. Takao, I didn't mean. . . I. . ."

**It's okay. I know to whom your anger was directed at.**

"Yes, it was to that boy. . . that boy and the old hag! It's all THEIR fault!" Naoki snarled, looked up at the roof, saw only more red mist and red lines. "Why . .. why, Lord God? Why did this happen? Why did you let them turn me into . . . this thing? Why? Why aren't you helping me?"

**He is either not aware or doesn't care about you. It was his decree that you should perish in the Conception, along with rest of humanity. Perhaps he has abandoned you for dead. You are alive only through the defiance of His will, after all. **

"You – " He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No. . . no .. . that's not true. . . He wouldn't do that. . ."

**He would. He is not the Deity your beloved book claims Him to be. You are by no means the first to have fallen from His grace, nor will you be the last. But where one Lord has forsaken you, another shall protect you. Our Lord has given you a gift. Accept it and use it to guide the others.**

"Who is – who is this lord?" Naoki had never felt so alone. He couldn't see Ms. Takao, didn't know where his friends were, didn't know where anybody was. He needed somebody. Anybody.

**He is the morning star and light bringer, the eternal opponent of the Divine Will ever since he was cast out and banished to the depths of Amala with a third of his kin. He is our Lord, Lord of all Demons, the Great King and Protector of Darkness. It is under his orders that you have received this gift. **

Naoki realized who she was talking about, now.

_No. . . not that. . . ANYBODY but that. . ._

". . . The devil," he whispered.

**That is one of his names, yes. **

_I'm talking to a servant of the freaking devil. Ms. Takao is a servant of the Devil. _

His blood ran cold. The Devil. Lucifer. Satan. The very word should have resulted in him being smote down by lightning, but nothing was happening.

_Ms Takao, the bastard and the old hag are servants of the Devil and they've turned me into a demon on his orders._

Naoki snarled, fury rising in his voice, understanding the situation, or at least thinking he did. .

"Do you . . . really think . . . that just by giving me a few muscles . . . will justify turning me into a MONSTER? Justify destroying my LIFE! You – You haven't saved my life, YOU'VE RUINED IT!"

**It was not we. It was the desire of the Divine Will that humanity be destroyed, for they had defied his Will. We were powerless to prevent it and we weep also for the terrible events that have transpired. If you feel wronged for what has occurred, then direct your anger towards Him. **

"How dare you!" Naoki shouted at the world in general. "If you think turning me into a demon will automatically turn me into a Devil Summoning heretic, you're out of your demonic brain!" He was defiant now, angry.

_I've been transformed into a demon and I've been friends with one of the Devil's top worshippers for the past two years. No__ wonder __God__ has__ abandoned__ me._

**That was not the reason you were saved.**

"THEN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU HELP ME!"

**To give you a power you have never before possessed. The power to choose your destiny for yourself.**

"The power to .. . " That was a new one.

There were rumblings now around him, gurgles and demonic screeches. The monsters were back, lured by the spilt entrails of the corpses around his feet, by his enraged shouts as they echoed off the walls.

**More are coming. You must break through to survive.**

"I don't care," Naoki said, sitting down in the pool of blood in defeat. "I'm not going to live and kill for you. I'm not going to do your boss's dirty work, Ms. Takao! I'm not going to do ANYTHING for him!"

"Then . . .then survive for me."

He whirled around in shock. There was a haze before for him, and suddenly a figure, a lady in black, not old like the old hag, but young. . . Ms. Takao! She was standing by an old fart of a man in a wheelchair, a man with wispy white hair and a sceptre that seemed almost alive.

"Naoki. . . " she spoke. It was Ms. Takao's voice! "Please, you can't die yet. Not like this. I sacrificed so much. . . did so many things. . . I believe in you, Naoki. . . I know your strength. You can survive this, this nightmare, I know it."

"You . . ." Naoki stood up, stared at her. She was so far away, her view obscured by more of the floating skulls and the burned out corpses.. "Ms. Takao. . . You were the only one who ever believed in me. . . the only one who ever cared. . . "

"Yes Naoki, I was. I was the only one who could see how strong and nice your were, the only one who cared enough to listen to you when you cried, the only one who helped you when you needed it. Now. . . now I'm the one who needs help, Naoki. I need you. . . need you to find me, need you to help me. . . "

Naoki blinked, look down at his body, this terrible body smeared in blood, this demonic body that would cut him off from heaven and atonement forever.

_I can't live for myself. . .can't live for god . . .  
><em>

"Please help me, Naoki Kashima. You're my only hope."

Naoki glared at the mass of demons in front of him.

". . . "

His eyes narrowed. A growl rumbled in his throat and he bared his teeth.

_Burt I will live for you._

"Well?"

The skulls and corpses didn't answer, merely smiled in anticipation of the kill.

Naoki smiled back for the same reason. "What are you waiting for, HUH? Come GET SOME!"

The demons lunged for him., claws extended. He rushed upon them with a shriek.

The lady in black and the old man watched him, ploughing through demon after demon with shouts of rage, smashing bones and destroying burned corpses in his wake.

**Very good.**

And he kept swinging his fists, kept smashing bones, kept snarling and shrieking. "YUKO!"

**Your strength is outstanding.**

The monsters ahead of him began to tremble in fear. Naoki didn't care that they were scared. He didn't even care that before him, the world and the demons and the lady in black and the old man were fading from view, blurring together. All he cared about was surviving this nightmare, living through it and finding her, meeting her again, living long enough to see her again. "Hold on, Ms. Takao!"

**We shall meet again . . .Hito-Shura. . .**

Jyoji Hijiri was a man who loved to know things. It fitted well with his job as a reporter and investigator, particularly of the occult and paranormal. This was a good thing. He also spent almost every waking moment trying to find out things and why they occurred.

Right now, he was trying to figure out just HOW he had ended up in a dark room next to a big fat spinny pillar thing. It looked sort of familiar. . .Hikawa had one of those, didn't he? Were they related? Was there more of them? How much did it cost? How did it bring him here?

Where exactly was here, anyway?

All of these questions and more were disrupted when the door suddenly flung open. He spun around, stared in shock at what had just entered the room. It was a human, a young male, wearing a belt, pants, shoes . . .and large blue and black markings all along his skin that were clearly occult in origin. He was covered in blood. It was caked in his hair, on his face, on his hands, drenching his shoes. But he looked familiar.. . in fact, he looked just like .. .

"You . . . you're the kid. You're the one I met back there, in the park,"

The youth nodded.

Could this blood covered boy truly be that scared little kid that nearly wet himself when teased by that fat cop? The one that had to hold Hijiri's magazine article at arms length in an effort to resist its corrupting influence?

"What happened to you?" Hijiri demanded, more curious than horrified.

The boy, Naoki Kashima, turned his blood soaked face towards him, looked him up and down for several seconds, then shrugged. "I've gotten stronger," he replied.

Hijiri stared. "You – you're not kidding, are you?" So. What the hell is going on! I was on my way to Shinjuku Medical Centre after I told that fat cop exactly where to shove his donut, when there was this really bright light, and next thing I know, here I am. What is this place? What happened to you? Why isn't my cell phone working? Who turned out the lights?"

" .. . but before I could reach her, the world shifted and I found myself back in the hallway outside where I woke up," Naoki finished, coning to the end of his great tale. "I wandered around a bit, then heard noises in one of the rooms, so I opened the door and came in here. So, . .. here we are."

Hijiri stared at him for several seconds, a lock of complete disbelief on his face, scarcely believing what he was hearing. At various times through the tale, Hijiri's eyebrow had risen so high that they could have hit the ceiling, whilst he jaw dropped so low it could hit the floor.. Then he finally spoke.

"Holy. Mother. Fucking. Shit. That's one hell of a story. I mean, I'd heard rumours of course. I've been investigating Hikawa and his company, and the Cult of Gaea for a while now,. . . and I'd known about the Prophecy of Miroku, and how they were planning something big . . but this big? Man. I had absolutely no idea it would be like this!"

There was sadness in Naoki's voice. "Ms. Takao said that only those who were in this hospital at the time of the Conception would survive. . . so that means that the total population of the world is now exactly six people…. Chiaki, Ms. Takao, Isamu, Hikawa, you, and me. The others . . there's nobody left except but us."

_Can I really be classified as one of the surviving humans now? I've changed. . . I'm not the same as I was before. . . _

Before this, before all of this crazy stuff had happened to him, Naoki was the sort of person who'd never hurt a fly. He was scared of pretty much everything. Back in Amala, he had ploughed through un dead nightmares in order to survive. And he had enjoyed it. Relished it. Wanted more. He didn't want to simply stand here and talk, he WANTED TO FIGHT!

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Hijiri told him. Naoki looked up.

"What? You think other people survived?"

"No, not like that," Hijiri replied. "I've been hearing things, noises outside this room. . . things that are definitely . . . not human. If what the Prophecy of Miroku says is true . .. if the Conception has actually occurred. . . "

As though they were lured by his words, terrible sounds and growls began to echo all around them. Naoki stared out behind him through the door, but saw nothing.

"You hear that?" Hijiri asked. Naoki nodded.

Hijiri stared at the ground. "Damn. It wasn't my imagination, then. Alright, listen up, cause this is going to be a bit tricky to believe – I believe with the fall of humanity, demons may have risen to take over the world in their place."

"Wha- WHAT?" Naoki stared. "There's no such thing as – as those monsters! That's impossible!"

Hijiri snorted. "Do you know how stupid you just sounded, kid? Face facts! You've been turned into a demon. Hikawa summoned a demon to kill you. You just told me you like wasted twenty something demons in the last half hour. Your face is covered with demon blood. Is that proof enough that it's possible for demons to exist?"

Naoki gulped.

"You think I'm with how this day has turned out!" Hijiri shouted, causing Naoki to stare at him.

"N – no, I've never said that –"

"Well I'm not! I've just written the greatest article of my entire life, one that's just been proven true, one that shows that I predicted that this entire scenario would happen, _AND__ THE__ WORLD __HAS __ENDED__ ONLY __A __FEW __HOURS__ BEFORE __I__ GOT __PAID__ FOR__ IT!_" He howled into the spinning pillar.

Naoki stared in shock. "S – sorry."

Hijiri glared back at him in fury, but then sighed. As quickly as it had come, the anger was gone. "Heh. Well, you can't have changed too much - at least you still sound like that kid from the park. No. I'm the one who should apologise for blowing up in your face. If there's one thing I've learned from all these years of researching the occult, it's that standing around freaking out and shouting won't get us anywhere. We have to think rationally. Take it from me, kid, I've spent pretty much all of my life fascinated with the occult whilst you've been busy reading from that bible of yours, so I'm the one who can see the bigger picture here. If humans are gone, then you'd better believe that demons will appear in their place. All sorts of demons. . maybe even the good ones. . ." Hijiri's eyes glittered. "I always DID want to do an interview with Beelzabub . . . "

Naoki blinked. "Uh. .. okay." He needed someone to take the lead. He was like a lost puppy, needed someone to show the way and guide him through this nightmare. If not God, if not Ms. Takao, then at least someone familiar, like Hijiri.

"Alright," Hijiri turned to the pillar he'd been studying before Naoki barged in. "I've seen this spinning barrel like object somewhere before, belonging to a man named Hikawa. You said he summoned a demon using this thing?"

"Yeah. A goat monster with a human's body and flames on its head."

"Hmm. . . that sounds like Baphomet, a demon from Pagan worship. A strong one too. . . some people used to think of it as a King of Demons, much like your Devil. Hmm, I thought humans were restricted to summoning small ones, like imps and other such minor demons, but to summon a bastard like Baphomet? This thing must be packing a serious wallop. Maybe he uses them as some sort of .. . conduit, a portal, between the demonic and our worlds?"

Naoki had to fight a compulsion to put his fingers in his ears to avoid being corrupted, telling himself that it was a little late to be worried about that given he had spoken to the devil, killed several undead corpses, seen the world end and been turned into a demon. "Well, I don't know. But you actually think that there might be . . . monsters? Here? In the hospital? Right now?"

"That's right. If the world has truly ended, then there's nothing stopping demons from coming in and taking over the place – they usually can't stay in our world for long, only summoned for small periods of time by sacrifices and special rituals – but if the world has truly ended, then the gates of hell will be wide open. If it hasn't happened already, it'll be a few hours before there's more demons in Tokyo than there were in hell."

Naoki gulped. This day was just getting worse and worse by the second. "I'm worried about my friends, Chiaki and Isamu. They might be hurt, in trouble."

_God! Why did this happen to me? Why!_

"If Baphomet or something similar is after them, they certainly could be," Hijiri replied, "but all of what I've said so far is speculation. We won't be able to figure out anything by just standing here moping – we have to gather information. How about this – with your new body, you should be able to either blend in with the demon population or belt it out of your way. You go and find your friends, find out what has happened, if it's the genuine Conception or just some sort of natural disaster. I'm going to stay here, study this artefact. It could be our big clue to understanding and getting out of this mess."

"You're – you're going to stay here?"

_You want me to go – ALONE?_

"Look at me. I'm pretty tough and nimble, but I'm no soldier – I wouldn't last one second against a demon like Baphomet or worse. You said your teacher gave you strength to survive in this world, so you should go out and use it. Explore the hospital, find your friends, then report back to me and we'll work things out from there. Understand?"

"Y-yeah, I got it," Naoki replied. He didn't want to go, but he never could disobey a direct order, whether it be from Chiaki or anybody else. "Okay. . . I guess I'll . . . see you later?"

Hijiri nodded, then smiled at him in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Yep. Go out and play. Have fun!" It was a stupid joke, but it was enough for Naoki to smile slightly as he closed the door and left the room. Hijiri's smile vanished the moment the boy had left.

"Ahhhhhhh Shit," he sighed. "If I ever see my boss again, I'm asking him for a serious pay rise."

Something was bothering him deeply however, about what Naoki had said. It was about how the sun had spoken to him, asking to see his soul, but not seeing any Reason and sending him down to earth.

Hijiri knew that this had to be the Divine Will foretold in the Scripture of Miroku – all who were destined to survive the Conception would be judged by Kagutsuchi, the guardian of the newly created world. When the time was right, Kagutsuchi would create the world according to the ideals, or Reason, of the strongest will. Thus was it foretold, and so it had happened – Kagutsuchii had spoken to Naoki Kashima.

But it hadn't spoken yet to Jyoji Hijiri. Why was that?


	6. Reunions

Chapter 5: Reunions

As Naoki searched desperately through the rooms of the basement, any doubts he had about something having gone terribly wrong were rapidly fading.

At the very least, it was some sort of natural disaster. The power was out – he'd pressed the elevator button a few times in a vain attempt to get to the roof. That was where he'd last seen Ms. Takao – maybe she was still up there. But the elevator refused to work, so he was forced to give up on it.

There were no lights on, now – it was pitch black darkness, but it seemed being a demon improved your eyesight, because Naoki had no trouble seeing now. Not that there was that much to see in the underground facility – aside from the ghosts. They were popping up now all over the place, amused at him as he tried to avoid their gazes and stares, but some of them shouted at him anyway.

"Yo there, buddy! LOVE your tats!"

As he climbed the stairs to the lobby, two things were immediately apparent. The first was that the place had been pretty badly damaged, almost like an earthquake had hit it. The roof had buckled in certain parts, broken glass was littered all across the floor, and the entrance was blocked off completely.

The second thing that was immediately apparent was that there was no sign of Chiaki. Or of his jacket.

"Chiaki?" Naoki asked the world, not expecting an answer. "Chiaki! Chiaki, where are you!"

He didn't expect an answer, but he got one anyway. "R-right here.. . "

"Chiaki!" Her voice was faint, but it was definitely not a hallucination. She was here, but invisible. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Here. .. under the rubble!"

Her voice was coming under the rubble near the entrance. "Hold on, Chiaki! I'll get you out!" He ran to her voice, started digging. "Are you hurt?"

"I. . . I think the roof fell on my legs. They hurt. . .they really hurt, Naoki. Naoki, the sky. . ."

"What about the sky?"

"It's. . . fallen. . .the sky has fallen, Naoki!"

_Fallen?_

He'd worry about that later. "I found Ms. Takao, Chiaki, she was in the basement! But I haven't seen Isamu yet."

"T-Takao? She's alive? You found her? "

"Yes, I did! She told me. . . she told me . . . "

_She told me that the world had ended and that she's part of this evil cult and now it's a demonic apocalypse and oh by the way I've been transformed into a demon and may murder you at any time –_

"She told me not to panic, there's nothing to worry about. Chiaki, I. . . " Hs mouth had stopped working. He couldn't tell her. He licked his lips, tried to work up the saliva to speak, but it didn't work. He was mute.

He couldn't dig her free. The more he dug, the more rubble there was. Fate was laughing at him. Safety, or at least his own perception of it, would be outside the hospital. He could get help. He could meet with the others, maybe call the police or the emergency services. But he couldn't get out. Not through here.

"Naoki? Naoki, are you still there?"

"I'm still here, but I can't get to you. I need to go over to the Annexe, find another route out. Maybe I'll meet up with Isamu or something – but I will be back for you, I swear it."

"No. . .no! Naoki, don't leave me!" She had never spoken to him like this before. The façade of determination she always wore, the impassionate gaze, the almost Asshole-like countenance – it was gone, smashed into a million pieces by the horror of the situation. "Naoki please. . .don't leave me. . .. "

For a few fleeting seconds, Naoki was back in the nightmare, back crouched beside his mother, pleading at her lifeless body.

_No, no! Mother, don't leave me! I'm sorry for not reading my bible, I'll never do it again. . .please don't go1_

He shook his head, returned to reality. And the reality was that Chiaki was hurt and he needed to get to her and he couldn't' do it from where he was now.

"I'm sorry, Chiaki…" Naoki whispered, climbing to his feet and turning away from the lobby. "I'll be right back, I promise." He left her then at a run, going up the stairs 2 at a time, doing his best to ignore her desperate pleads.

"No – no! Naoki, don't go! I – I ORDER YOU!" She screamed, uncomprehending _He __left __me.__.__he __left __me.__.__.__he __left __me!_

"NAOKI!"

For the absolute first time in her life, someone had defied her order, and it was not just something stupid like a hot chocolate or an icy pole. No – she was in trouble now, she really did need his help, it wasn't just to show off to the others how much of a door mat Naoki was this time – she was pinned to the ground, lying on her back, her legs crushed beneath a semi collapsed building, staring up at a sky that could not be real.

None of this could be real.

It's wrong.

THIS WORLD IS WRONG!

She cried.

* * *

><p>Naoki sprinted through the medical centre, searching for Isamu, but finding only despair, destruction and doubt. There were no humans here, only ghosts who jeered at him as he ran, peering out from behind hospital rooms.<p>

"Well, look who's in a hurry to die!"

"Damn, what a racket you're making! Come on pal, just let me die in pieces!"

"It's a DEMON! A monster! Don't eat me!"

"Momma .. . MOMMA! What's happened to the world! I'm so scared! Momma!"

"What – ANOTHER demon! You're probably after Magatsuhi like the rest of them… leave us alone, would you?"

He was above ground now, able to see out through the windows into the sky, but all he saw was a desolate wasteland. The buildings were gone – obliterated where they stood, only random bits of rubble remaining. The grass and the gardens of the hospital were gone too – incinerated, only burnt husks where they once were. As for the sky.. .it was hard to see it from where he was, but it was red, very red. He'd tried the telephones, the vending machines, the computers – nothing worked.

In the car park was a single solitary car, surprisingly undamaged, perhaps even driveable.. He recognised the model and the colour as Ms Takao's. Aside from that, there was no other real sign of life.

_We really could be the only humans left alive. . . _

In one of the rooms on the first floor, Naoki had taken another look out at the sky, trying to see if he could see more from a different angle. It was then that'd he spotted the light – a light he'd recognised immediately as the sun that had burned him and Ms. Takao during the Conception.

_The one that talked to me in that dream._

It had been such an unbelievable sight that he'd stared at it for several long minutes, despite the blindness hurting his own eyes. It fluctuated as he stared at it, changing in brightness as though it were a gigantic heartbeat, its changes in light almost rhythmic. Strangely though, the light was more soothing than disturbing., again like a heartbeat, so much so that it took Naoki several tries to stop looking at it and continue on his way.

Above all else, the thing that bothered Naoki the most was the sound. The sound of nothing. All his life, there'd been noise. Birds singing, cars driving, loud radios. The sound of life and of nature and of humanity and of technology.

There was nothing now.

Or was there? He pricked his ears.

Yes, there was a sound now, a sound of fighting. Whooshes and yells and demonic snarls – he could hear them now, distantly, off in the distance. Above him, on the second floor – a battle!

_Isamu!_

"Isamu!" Naoki shouted.

_He__'__s __fighting __back.__.__.he__'__s __in__ trouble.__.__.__I __HAVE __TO__ HELP!_

Naoki sprinted for the second floor, past all the rooms around him, galloping up the stairs, but he was too late. Even now, with his amplified muscles and enhanced strength and speed, he was still too slow – the battle had ended by the time he arrived..

_I can't do anything. . ._

The battle was over, but the aftermath was still clearly visible. There was blood, everywhere – black blood, too, mostly, but there were a few red spots of human blood. More than that, however, were the corpses – eight of them, all of the same type. They weren't human, not by any stretch of the imagination – or if they had once been human, they certainly weren't now. They were purple, emaciated beings, but with grotesquely bloated tummies and enormous canine fangs jutting out from their mouths. Little yellow tags hung from their ears and they had only glowing white holes for eyes.

They looked, for a lack of a better word, BUTT UGLY.

They also looked quite dead and their deaths were very obviously not of old age. Some of them were smoking, charred corpses, but it was more as though they'd been cooked from the inside, not exposed to a flamethrower or similar weapon. Others were completely rigid, their limbs more blue than purple. And there were things on their bodies, that looked like. . . teeth marks, and scratches.

_This is not Isamu's doing._

There was a noise up ahead, by the passage to the Annexe, like a shuffling of feet and a crashing of medical equipment There was someone up ahead.

_Isamu?_

He followed the noise, came up to its source, just in time to see a small figure face plant onto the floor.

As he came closer, he had no doubt but to conclude that this was most certainly not Isamu. Nor could he be entirely convinced that it was even human.

She at least looked human, having brown hair and wearing a purple leotard with similar coloured stockings and gloves, but the problem was that she was tiny, way too tiny, barely thirty centimetres long. It didn't matter. She was hurt – badly injured, even, covered in burns and scratches and unconscious It didn't matter what she was – she was hurt, therefore he had to help her. He bent down to pick her up off the floor.

No reaction.

He put his hands around her, one underneath her, the other on top and lifted her up to a sitting position. He didn't know whether it was his new enhanced strength, or whether she was just really, really light, but it was as though he'd picked up nothing but air and she was so small he barely needed two hands to hold her. Naoki had no comprehension of first aid or medical treatment, so he did the first thing he thought of - he gave her a poke in the side and spoke to her.

"Hey. . . are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped open and Naoki found himself staring into a pair of glowing red eyes of pure evil.. He stared, so shocked that he couldn't move. "You're. . . .you're a – "

She scowled, noticed his hands were all over her body, realized that he'd touched her whilst she'd been unconscious, immediately drew her own conclusion. She pointed her hand at him, kicked out at his hands, shouted.

"YOU BIG PERVERT!"

There was a flash of light from her finger and suddenly Naoki yelped in pain, almost as though he'd grabbed an electrical wire and the current had shot through his body en route to the ground. He staggered and lost his grip on the girl, who fell from his hand, but in the very next instant she was back up again, eye level with him despite not even measuring up to his knee. For a few seconds they stared at each other. . .then she snarled, scowled and punched Naoki in the nose.

"Ow!"

_She electrocuted me, now she's floating in the air and punching me in the nose. How. . . how did she –_

"Take that, pervert!" She shouted. "You ain't getting my Magatsuhi!" He could see now that she was flying, two tiny wings flapping through so quickly they were almost invisible, red glowing eyes of rage boring into his skull, pointed ears laid back as though they were on a beast. She scowled as he continued to stare at her. "What, you want some more of this? I got plenty more Zio where that came from!"

_IT"S A DEMON! ITS GONNA EAT MY SOUL!_

"Get. . . get away. . . " Naoki shrieked, staggering from the shock – the shock of the electricity and the shock of seeing a demon so close. He took a couple of steps away from her. "You're a monster. . .leave me alone. . . GET AWAY!"

A flicker of stunned disbelief crossed her face but was quickly gone. "You got that right, Pervert boy! I've never seen a demon like you before but you'd better start running back home to your clan. FEAR MY LIGHTNING!"

She snapped her fingers, and Naoki stared in disbelief as sparks began to fly from the tips. "Prepare to die!"

_She's going to shock me again!_

"No!" Naoki snarled, lunging for her before she could move a muscle, grabbing her in both hands around her shoulders. The demon struggled in his grip and he held her tighter.

. "Let go, Pervert! It hurts!" She yelled, staring up at him with those terrible red eyes, eyes of pure evil. But those bright red eyes were also eyes of fear and of despair and pain, pain that HE had caused and Naoki stared back down, realizing how pitiful she looked. She didn't look like the stereotypical demonic being, more like a scared child, no more than eight or nine years old, who just happened to be able to fly. She was doing her best to hide it, but she was shaking in her leotard, trying to be as defiant as possible despite her absolutely tiny size. That made no sense. _Why __on __earth __is__ the __Demon __scared __of __ME?_

He saw how insignificant she was compared to him, how WEAK, how her life was completely in his hands - literally. He realized now, why the demon would be scared of him – he was stronger. He was much stronger than she was. . . strong enough to kill her… He could do it – just grip a tiny bit tighter and she'd be-

_No._

Naoki stopped squeezing, opened his hand and lowered her to the floor again. She wriggled free of his gasp and fell to her knees, coughing.

"You . . . you bastard. . . you'd be so dead if I was fully healed. . . damn, just wait until I've used my Dia spell. I'm going to kick your ass so hard. . ."

"I'm sorry!" Naoki protested. "I – I just wanted to see if you were okay. You're badly hurt!"

"Yes I am!" she said between coughs and wheezes. "Thanks to you and your fat hands!"

"I'm really sorry for hurting you," he told her, causing her to stop coughing and stare up at him in surprise. "What happened? Why are you badly injured?

"Why do you care?" she snarled at him. "Bah. Fine. Anything to make you be quiet." Actually, she was stalling for time – she'd already cast her Dia healing spell, but it would need some time to work completely.

So she told him. She'd come here with her buddy Jack Frost, having heard there was a wild party about to be held In Yoyogi Park to celebrate the fall of humanity and to consume all the Magatsuhi released when the humans died. Foolishly, she'd let Jack be the one to be the one who created the Demonic Portal from help. As a result, it shouldn't have been a surprise when they turned up here, slightly off course, although it was a lot closer than Jack usually got. The two of them had travelled through the hospital, eating a few humans along the way. Yes, they were very yummy.

The demon was greatly amused when this little snippet of information caused Naoki to dry retch onto the floor.

Continuing the story, they'd found some pass-thingies and stuck one in the annexe, which was invalid, then they'd gone down to the basement, and that was also invalid. Then a human in a freaky hat had pointed out that they'd put the wrong pass-thingy in the wrong machine.

"Human in a freaky hat!" Naoki gasped. "That's Isamu! Where is he? Is he alright? Is he okay?" He'd completely forgotten about his fear of her now – nothing mattered except for Isamu's well being.

"Slow down, would you? Let me finish!" The demon gave him a swat on the nose.

After realizing their mistake, they'd given up on the idea, and she had ordered Jack to teleport to Yoyogi Park again. Sixteen attempts later, when they'd been teleported to pretty much everywhere in Tokyo EXCEPT the Park, they'd ended up back here, because she still had the Pass-Thingy for the annexe. So they'd headed up to the Annex, but then they'd run into a whole heap of Pretas. A big battle followed in which Jack did pretty much nothing and she defeated all the demons, except for three.

"I would have defeated them too, but that stupid human with the freaky hat came out of nowhere, screaming. He ran right into the middle of the battle, totally threw off our concentration, so we got beaten up. I only just managed to escape with my life because the Pretas were too preoccupied with the human to bother with me. But that human must've taken the pass-thingy and now we're stuck and Jack ditched me and it's all your fault, you big meanie!"

"I'm really sorry about that," Naoki answered, "I thought you were an enemy. Thanks for telling me. Do you know where Isamu is now?"

"You're actually thanking . . ." The demon responded with a frown. This was a weird guy. . . something was off about him. "He'd be with the Pretas if he's still alive, They took him into one of the rooms, all the way over there. Why? You going to take him off them?"

Naoki blinked. "I . .. I have to. . . Isamu's has always helped me when I was trouble. . . Now he's the one in trouble. I have to help him."

_I just have to kill some monsters. There's just monsters. They don't have feelings. . . it's for Isamu's own good._

The Pixie thought for a moment, then grinned. "Alright, then listen. I just got an idea. I need to get that pass-thingy, you want to swipe their human, we both want to beat up the icky Pretas. See where I'm going with this?"

"You want us to . . .team up?" Naoki swallowed. He didn't like this idea. Teaming up with a demon?

The demon nodded. "That's right. You look kinda flabby and weak, but at least you should be able to take a few hits before you drop. You keep those demons off me, and I'll electrocute their asses. Whaddya say? Are we partners? At least until we get out of this crappy place?"

Naoki blinked. He really didn't want to deal with any demon at all, but this was an emergency. Isamu didn't have the same powers he had now and could be badly injured, which meant he would need this demon's powers. Plus, Naoki had a sinking suspicion that if all the humans really WERE dead and he was stuck in a demonic apocalypse, then he'd need to take his friends wherever he could get them.

There was just one problem and Naoki's conscience ordered him to bring it up. "But you're injured! If you get into a fight, you might –"

"Injured?" The demon grinned. "Who, me?" She flew around him, showing off her speed and agility. All of the wounds he had seen on her before were gone, just like magic. "My Dia spell took care of those injuries. How about this – I'll heal your wounds when the Pretas cave in your skull. How about that idea?"

She actually had no intention of healing him at all. _Anything __to __make __this __idiot __help __me. __I__'__m __missing __the __Party __in __Yoyogi __Park. __Thanks __for__ nothing, __Jack!_

There was no other way. Naoki nodded. "Yeah. Partners. My name's Naoki Kashima. What is yours?"

"Pixie," she replied. "I'm Pixie of the Fairy Clan, and we don't do no stupid human rituals, we address in the demon way. Name and clan, just like me.

"Oh, sorry," Naoki blinked. "Okay – I'm Naoki. . .of the Kashima clan."

Pixie blinked. "What the hell are you, a HUMAN!" She didn't seem to notice Naoki's face going pale. "I wasn't born yesterday! Tell me your clan! Your real one!"

"But. . but that's the only clan I know!" That wasn't quite true – back in the nightmarish world of Amala, Ms. Takao had told him that he was a Hito-Shura, what ever the heck one of those was, but he was stuck in a dilemma. He didn't want to acknowledge to himself that he was a demon and he didn't want to acknowledge to the Pixie thing that he was a human. He felt she wouldn't appreciate that. She seemed nasty enough to him as it was and she thought that he was a demon like her. What would she do to him if she learned that he was not a demon at all but a human?

""Are - are you SERIOUS? What sort of demon doesn't know their own clan? How on earth can you not know something so vital!

Naoki shrugged. "I just don't. Is it really that important?"

"Yes it is! I refuse to team up with you until you introduce yourself in the proper demon way: by announcing your clan affiliation. Pick one, or otherwise take a hike!"

"Fine," Naoki said, exasperated. "Let's just pick one, then. Which Clan do you think I'm from?"

"Hmmm..." she looked him up and down. "Let's see here. . . with the way you're speaking, you certainly sound like a Brute, but they usually have horns poking out their forehead, not the other way. .. You're too tall for a Fairy. ..you can't be a Beast, you're too hairy. . . maybe you're a Foul. You certainly smell bad enough."

"No I don't! It's just –" _Just __the __blood __on __your __face __and __hands __and __feet __from __all __the __demons__ you__ killed __and __probably __some __vomit __here__ and __there__ –_

"Oh yes you do, Perv – hey, there you go."

"There I go what? Naoki didn't understand.

"I've picked your clan affiliation for ya," she said with a grin. "You are . . . " she did a drum roll on a wall.

". . .NAOKI OF THE PERVERTS!"

His metaphorical jaw hit the metaphorical floor so hard that it bounced, the markings on his body going bright red along with his face. "N-N-N-Naoki of the . . . Perverts!"

He could just see the look on his friends faces, on the people at Sunday school, on his newest foster family, on all the foster familles he'd ever met in his life . . .

"Yep, that's you," she said with a huge grin and a summersault in the air. "Nice to meet you, Naoki of the Perverts. Let's be friends!"

Naoki stared at her in disbelief.

_How did my life ever come to this?_

* * *

><p>"Magatsuhi! Magatsuhi! Magatsuhi! Eat! Eat! Eat!"<p>

"What are they doing?" The pixie asked.,

Naoki continued to look through the keyhole. "I . . . I really don't know. I can see three purple things . . . and Isamu, on the floor." Truthfully, Naoki did not want to know just what the three Pretas were doing to his best friend in there. The two of them were just outside the room she had indicated, getting ready for battle. "They're chanting about eating and Magatsuhi."

The pixie shrugged. "That's them, alright – only two priorities in their life, eating and gathering Magatsuhi. Not that it's unique to them, of course, they're just a little more rabid about it."

Naoki didn't like hearing the Pretas talking about eating in Isamu's near vicinity. This bothered him. "They. . .they won't eat Isamu, will they?" He asked his companion for reassurance, who was sitting on his head.

The Pixie glanced back at him with a snort. "OF COURSE they're going to eat Isamu, if they haven't already. What else do you think they nicked him for, to join them in a sing along? They're PRETAS. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they escape this room by eating through the wall. Why, what's the matter, Naoki of the Perverts? Having second thoughts about hurting the poor things?"

"Well, um. . . " Naoki stammered. She'd guessed correctly. All of the bravado Naoki had possessed a few minutes ago had dissipated as he began to fully grasp the complete mess he'd just gotten himself into. This. . . Pixie. . . believed Naoki was a demon, mostly because he WAS a demon – a human soul in a demonic body. Thus, she fully expected him to act like a demon. That was, do demonic things that God would most likely not approve of. This did not sit well within Naoki's conscience.

_God__ hates __me,_ Naoki thought to himself. _I __should __have__ died __back __in __the__ Conception_. _You __were __right, __Ms. __Takao__ – __surviving __the __Conception __is __a__ million __times__ worse__ than __dying __in__ it._

"Hey – hey, Pervert!" The pixie gave him a clout on the ear. "Stop spacing out, would you?"

"S-sorry!" Naoki replied, near automatically. "So, what's the plan?"

"I already told you – charge in head on, beat the crap out of the icky Pretas, revel in your victory and I'll support you, especially for the celebrating. Why – something wrong?"

"Yeah, there is," Naoki replied, testing the handle of the door carefully. "I think this is locked."

"So what? It's just a human door. Break it down!"

"No," Naoki shook his head. "We can't just charge in – Isamu might get hurt." The Pretas might get hurt as well. Naoki was _almost_ fine with beating up the corpses back in the nightmare world – they were dead already, nothing but disembodied skulls floating around supported only by purple mist. The Pretas were infernal beings, yes, but alive. They would scream when he crushed their bones, when he ripped out their organs, when he –

_Why the hell am I doing this?_

Pixie had the same question running through her mind. "But he's just a HUMAN! I know that they've just become a little rare to find, but they're not much use aside from novelty value. They're only good for being a good source of Magatsuhi, but you mustn't want that, huh?"

"No, I don't," Naoki replied, not thoroughly understanding just what Magatsuhi was.

"Heh, you're one weird demon, not wanting Magatsuhi," Pixie shrugged. "More for me, then. You know this, don't you – the more freaked out the human, the more Magatsuhi they're emitting out of their orifices!"

_If that's the case, then I must be emitting enough Magat-whatsit to summon the four horsesmen of the Apocalypse. _

Of course, the situation being as it is, Naoki wouldn't really be surprised if he found them drinking Sake down at the local Dive, their horses tethered up outside.

The Pixie was still talking. "So tell me, Naoki of the Perverts. If you don't want one for Magatsuhi, what DO you want a human for?"

"He's my friend," Naoki replied.

The demon's jaw dropped. "Your. . . your friend? You're risking your life for a Frend? "Greeeat, JUST GREAT, you're one of THOSE demons.. . alright, let's try it this way. I'll lure them out by speaking in their nappy native tongue. They come out, we crush them, we go in and rescue your little pet human. There. How's that sound? Good?"

Naoki nodded.

"Alright then. Just give me a minute. .. " The pixie cleared her throat, then spoke in a much deeper tone. "Gruuuuuuuaaaahhhh!" It was not so much a spoken word as it was an unnatural grunt.

Demonic growls and shrieks could be heard from inside the room. "Gruuh? Who there?"

"Grrrrruruuuuh," Pixie replied. "Weeee.. . Haaaaaave Magat. . suhiiiiiii. Brooooooiought . . . Looooooots."

". . . Gah! Lots Magatsuhi?"

Pixie pointed to Naoki, signalling him to get ready. He nodded, crouched down.

"Yeeeeeeess. Brrought Looooots Maaaaaaagatuhi. .. . "

_I__'__m __actually __doing__ this. __I__'__m __actually __doing__ this._He couldn't help but tremble. . . in fear? Or was it anticipation for a fight?

_Am I actually eager to hurt these demons? What's happening to me?_

The door unlocked, was thrown wide open as the three Pretas came shooting out into the hall with eager shouts. "WE EAT! WE EAT!" They were the same monsters he had seen dead on the ground before, purple beasts with bloated tummies but emaciated bones. Naoki briefly wondered what it would feel like to break their bones. It'd probably be just like snapping toothpicks.  
><em><br>No, __don__'__t __think __about __that!_

He waited until the three Pretas were all the way out of the room and wondering around in the hall, looking around in confusion. "Gaah? Where. . .Where is. . . . Magatsuhi?"

"RIGHT HERE, HAUNT SCUM!"

The Pretas whirled around, saw Naoki, charged for him, but before they could he was already upon them, fists swinging, the Pixie whooping from her vantage point on his head. "YAAAA! Take that, you icky things! CHAARGE!"

And Naoki obeyed – he ploughed straight through the Pretas, snapping bones and sending the purple demons flying into the walls, where they crumpled to the floor.

"Magatsuhi. . ." one of the Pretas moaned.

It was all over in a flash – the demons cowering and whimpering on the floor, Naoki sweating bullets, but more from the stress, not from the actual fight. The fight was so one sided he wasn't even panting.

_Unholy __Hell,_ Pixie thought to herself from her position on his head. _This__ demon__'__s __a__ lot__ stronger __than __I __thought._

"Alright!" She cheered, leaping off his head and doing a couple of laps around his face. "You kicked their asses, Naoki of the Perverts! Let's finish them off, quick!"

"No!" Naoki didn't want to hurt anything any more than he had to, so he wasn't obeying this time. Instead, he appeared to have performed a magic trick, disappearing from view.

Pixie snarled. "Hey - Pervert! What are you doing!" She already knew the answer to that question: He was running into the recently vacated room in search of that pet human of his.

_He probably wants me to heal that weak thing. BAAH!_

She flew in after him, took in the scene with a disinterested glance, then began to look around on the floor for the Annexe Pass-thingy.

* * *

><p>Authors Notes<p>

Hi all, Black Snapper reporting, just wishing to take a moment to gloat at all the attention I'm getting ^_^ My handy dandy traffic stat graph tells me that this story has now registered 369 hits and 157 individual visitors, which is AWESOME. Better still, I have 12 reviews! A round of applause to: Hades378 , Lupus-Cantus-Grimoure , The Man Who Has No Life, Damien Black, DarkFlareFox (despite your review being only an emoticon, that's still awesome!) and 741852AuthorNicolaStarlaLili, despite the fact that you're scary. All hail my reviewers, and all hail the abilities of copy paste, without which I could never have typed out those pennames!

*The four horseman of the Apocalypse clap in the background*

Right now, I'm trying to uncover more details about Dante, specifically his character and personality. Searching for "Dante" in the Megami Tensei fic area was . . . err. . . less than productive (for those who haven't pllayed the game, the entire cast is NOT madly in love with each other!), and his Wikipedia article was essentially claims of how badass he was. I played Devil May Cry 2, in which he was almost completely a silent protagonist, so I'm assuming he's a bit chattier in the first one.


	7. Pushing Through

Chapter Six: Pushing Through

In comparison to all the other hospital rooms, this one was almost completely empty, the beds and machines gone. Isamu was there, lying on the ground, hog tied with a couple of tattered sheets and a metal pole the Pretas had got from somewhere. There was one binding his hands and feet together, plus another one around his mouth. Both sheet strips were tied to the metal pole. However, for being captured by three Pretas, demons notorious for their voracious appetites and lack of table manners, the human looked n very good shape. Still possessed all his digits, still alive, just a little tiny bit scared.

_He__'__s__ still__ got __his __hat, _The Pixie realized with a blink. _He__'__s __even __more __attached __to__ it __than__ Jack __is __to __his __own, __and__ it__ isn__'__t __even __a __part __of __him. __No, __wait__-__scratch __being__ a __little __bit __scared, t__his __guy__'__s __producing __enough__ Magatsuhi __to __feed__ the __five __thousand. __That __Pervert__'__s__ not __absorbing __any __of__ it__ though,__ for __some __reason.__ Oh __well,__ more __for __me._ She sucked it up, all the Magatsuhi in the room and sighed blissfully at the heavenly feeling. _Ah. __Lovely._

Meanwhile, Naoki had at first thought Isamu was dead – he didn't seem to be moving at all, he was stiff as a board. As he removed him from the metal pole, however, he saw signs of life – Isamu's eyes were open wide, staring back at him in complete disbelief and horror.

_The poor guy must have been completely freaked out by those Pretas. _

The realization somewhat calmed Naoki's guilt at hurting them like that – he wasn't a violent person, right?

Right?

"Isamu. . .Isamu, it's me – Naoki Kashima. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

No answer, except for a few horrified gasps and incoherent warbling. "Relax, buddy," Naoki tried to speak soothingly as he untied the last few straps, giving Isamu a pat on the shoulder. "Calm down – we'll – "

"DON"T TOUCH ME!" Isamu shrieked, kicking out at him in panic. Naoki only just managed to avoid the flying foot.

"Isamu!"

His eyes were blank There was no hint of recognition, just a human trembling at the sight of a new monster.

_He's scared of me. He thinks I'm going to hurt him._

Naoki tried to calm the situation by retelling a story. "Isamu! It's me! Remember? Your old buddy, Naoki Kashima? You know, right? We've been buddies for years, ever since you saved my life. You remember now, don't you? I was a little kid, getting my ass kicked by a bully triple my size and weight and you leaped in to save me. Then later, we promised each other to stick together through thick and thin. Well, I'm going to keep that promise, Isamu "

Naoki decided that telling Isamu about the aftermath of that fight – in which both Isamu and Naoki were beaten to within an inch of their lives and hung on a flagpole by their jockstraps for the rest of the afternoon – wouldn't exactly help this situation..

". . . Yeah. This is all well and good," Pixie said from the other side of the room, "but we've got a problem here. Those icky Pretas are back for round 2 and one of them must have eaten the Pass Thingy."

Demonic growls heralded the approach of the three Pretas, coming back inside the room. They were nursing broken bones and bloody pelts, but they were alive and they were pissed. "We.. . tricked. . . Want Magatsuhi!"

Naoki freaked. "They - they ATE it? But we. . . but we needed that! What do we do now?"

"Ha! The pixie grinned. "We do what we should have done earlier, Pervert. Hit them harder and make them stay dead!"

"Al – alright," Naoki replied. He turned to Isamu, indicated the metal bar on the ground, tried to be as brave as Isamu was when they faced down that bully back then by repeating his line. "What do you say, Isamu? Let's kick their .. .uh . . . bums . . . back to . .. err. . . the other place!"

The actual line that had been said back then was "Let's kick their asses back to hell!", but Naoki presumed it was the thought that counted.

It certainly seemed to have the desired effect. Isamu stared at the bar, shot his hands out and grabbed it, seemingly snapped out of his mind freeze. Naoki nodded, turned back to the three Pretas as they advanced upon them.

"Okay, that settles it. Uh . .. I'll take the one in the middle. . . Pixie can take the one of the right. . . how about you take the one on the –" He didn't have time to finish, as in the next instant he was falling forward onto his knees, his ears ringing.

_CLANG!_

"Ooh," Pixie giggled in mid lightning cast.. "THAT'S got to hurt!"

"What just – " Naoki spun around, saw Isamu holding the Iron bar, still panting from the sheer exertion required to swing the bar hard enough to knock Naoki upside the head. "Isamu . .. what are you doing, buddy? They're the monsters!"

"You. .. ." recognition seemed to flash in Isamu's eyes but was just as quickly gone. He composed himself, got ready to swung the bar a second time. "No. You're not Naoki! You're a monster! Get away from me, I won't let you kill ME!"

_.__.__.__What? __NO!_

The bar hadn't actually hurt Naoki that much, just rattled him. It was more the mental realization, the sheer fact that it was Isamu who had hurt him. Naoki's expression darkened, anger rising in his soul.

"Isamu . . you . .. YOU BASTARD!" He shouted at the human, grabbed the bar before Isamu could swing it again, bent it in half with barely any trouble. Before Isamu knew what was happening, he was lifted clean off his feet and slammed into the back wall hard enough for cracks to appear, gasping for air and clawing for Naoki's hand on his throat.

"HEY!" Pixie shouted from behind him. Naoki spun around, realized they had a problem. One Preta was dead, its body smoking and twitching from a billion volts flowing through it. Another was trying to eat the door, biting great holes out of its wood, while Pixie struggled in the gaping mouth of the third as it tried to clamp its jaws shut. "Stop spacing out, pervert!"

Naoki stared at the scene, stared at Isamu.

_What – What am I - _

Stunned, he released his grip and let the human drop to the floor. "I. . . I'm sorry, Isamu. . ." He shook his head, turned away from Isamu and went to help Pixie defeat the Pretas for good this time.

It was like his body was being controlled by someone else. He reached the Preta just as it closed its mouth and tried to swallow, causing Naoki to freak out and grab it by the head. He then slammed his fist into its stomach, thinking perhaps that it would merely make the Preta spit her out.

Instead, his fist kept going, straight through its innards, until he was in the Preta to his shoulder and his hand had burst out through the other side. Strangely enough, the Preta was completely unperturbed – it slashed at him with its claws and shrieked.

"EAT! WANT EAT!

_OH GOD!_

Naoki panicked, grabbed it by the neck, ripped its head clean off of it's body, freaked out and tossed the head like a hat thrown at graduation. The head rolled along the floor, coughing and gurgling, taking its pixie meal with it, her voice muffled by undoubtedly shouting obscenities. It came to a stop by Isamu's near comatose body.

It should have horrified him, but instead he merely turned to the next Preta. _One__ left.__.__._

The one surviving Preta was eating the door, but looked up as Naoki advanced on it. "Magatsuhi. . . . ?"

Naoki glared at it, waiting for it to come at him. He was still high on his own adrenaline and he had to fight his own body's demands to punch the Preta to the moon then eat its intestines.

No.

He'd give it a chance to run away. He was still a human. He'd wait, wait for it to do the first move. He'd only use this strength and power to defend himself.

Nothing happened. Neither side gave an inch. Then, suddenly, the Preta reached its head back and howled.

"AWOOOOOOOOO!"

The Pixie crawled out from the gaping mouth of the dead Preta, rubbed blood and guts off of her leotard, saw the howling Preta, freaked right out. "IDIOT! Shut it up, shut it up!"

"Wh – why?"

"Don't ask! JUST DO IT!"

Naoki moved to obey. He ran forward, grabbed the Preta by one arm, swung it around so that it had its back to him, moved his hand to cover the Preta's mouth. The Preta reacted completely predictably – it bit his hand and tried to eat it.

_Well, it's shut up now._

"Oh for the love of – NOT LIKE THAT, Pervert!" The Pixie screeched. "Snap its neck! Hurry!"

Naoki stared at her, hesitating.

Then the proverbial hit the proverbial fan.

Preta demons came running, from every room, from every shadow, from every discoloration on the ground lured by the sounds of battle, the smell of blood and the Preta's howl. They burst through the windows, came out from under the hospital beds, jumped down from the ceiling, came up through the floor, came out from every crack and nook and gap. Where just a few seconds ago there'd been only one Preta demon facing him down . . .

There now was well over a hundred.

"Ah, SHIT," the Pixie said, summing up the situation perfectly and readying her lightning spell for an intensive workout.

_This is bad. This is really bad._

"Wh- What do we do now?"" Naoki asked, backing away from the room door, back into the room, trying to put a barrier between them and Isamu.

"What we do best, Pervert," the Pixie told him, trying to sound a lot braver than she actually was whilst simultaneously looking for cover. She eventually found it by standing behind Naoki himself. "Fight like the devil!"

Naoki nodded, readied himself for the fight as he watched the Pretas swarming around the open hospital door. But they weren't coming inside - they were merely standing their ground and chanting, manoeuvring their hands exactly in synchronization with each chanted syllable.

"Maaaa. . . Gaaaaa… . Tsu .. . .HIIIIIII. . ."

The Pixie's eyes went wide and she swore. "SHIT! Naoki, hurry! We have to kill them NOW!" She redoubled her efforts, threw lightning spells out of both hands as fast as she could as though she were throwing rocks. The few Pretas she dropped were merely trampled on and replaced by new Pretas.

"Wha – why?" The Pretas weren't attacking – they were simply taking a deep breath, pointing their hands at him, and chanting. "What's wrong?"

"Oh for – " _HOW__ CAN__ SOMEBODY__ BE__ THIS __STUPID?_"They're about to cast an Agi spell! Now shut up and help me kill them before they cast it!"

There were too many of them – her lightning spell, Zio, was simply not strong enough – it could only attack them one at a time. Meanwhile, Naoki was simply blinking at the Pretas, not comprehending. Pixie secretly wondered if the reason Naoki hadn't sucked up the Magatsuhi from earlier was because he was too stupid to notice it.

Meanwhile, the Pretas pointed their hands at them in a double fist, their hands mimicking the top and lower jaws of some sort of animal.

"WAAAAANT . . . . "

Their hands began to glow and a little bit of fire appeared in their palms. Naoki, who was staring at them like an idiot, began to have a suspicion that something was about to happen.

"Just what is an Agi spell?" He asked the Pixie.

"You're about find out if you don't get moving, IDIOT!" The Pixie yelled back at him. "It's too late now! Get out of the way! All hands on -"

"EEAAAAAAAAT!"

Then they were pointing their hands at him, and the little balls of fire were suddenly GOODNESS GRACIOUS GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, hurtling through the air, straight towards him

_Ohhhhhh, so THAT'S what an Agi spell is. _

In a few split seconds, multiple things happened. Pixie slapped her hand to her face, wondering how any demon could be so stupid yet continue to exist. Then she heard the rush of fire and braced herself against his back, hoping that he would be incinerated instead of her. At the same instant, Naoki turned around, turned his back on the horde and their fireballs. Hs free hand flew through the air in a blur, giving the Pixie just enough time to say one word: "What –" before grabbing her by the upper torso. His other hand was still inside the Preta's mouth, said demon chewing on it, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around it.

Then he was leaping for Isamu, colliding with him and knocking him to the ground, pinning them into a corner of the room, flattened beneath a pile of demons. Pixie, much to her outrage, found herself squished in between a fidgeting, whimpering Preta and a human who was in a state best described as catatonic, but before she could protest a hail of fireballs came flying into them, consuming the room in fire

PHWWWOOOOOOOOSH!

"GAAH!" Naoki shrieked as the fire burned his skin. He had taken the brunt of the damage, protecting the Pixie, Preta and person underneath him from harm at the expense of his own body, feeling pain rocket through him for what seemed the fiftieth time in less than a few hours. His demonic body was far more resistant than Isamu's body was, so it was far from being the worst pain he'd ever felt – not that Naoki really wanted to feel a pain that could top the centipede-boring-through-your-eye experience. It hurt, LIKE HELL, but he didn't care about that. He had to make sure the others were alright.

_No matter how much it hurts. . . . I have to help Isamu!_

For his part, Isamu was doing pretty much nothing. He curled into a ball, wrapped his hands around himself and trembled. "Make it Stop! Make it Stop! Make them go away!" He was shouting at the top of his lungs, but the roar of the fire and the chanting of the Pretas was so loud, SO LOUD. The Preta horde was coming now, charging into the room, the claws on their feet scratching on the floor, advancing on the corner.

_We__'__re __pinned __down,_Naoki realized in shock, the Pixie flailing in his hand. _I__ can__'__t __hold __off __this __fire __forever. __I__ tried __to __protect __my __friend __but __instead __I__'__ve __put __them __in __a__ terrible __situation.__ I__ should__ have __stayed __at __the __front __door, __where __I __could __fight__ these __things __off __one__ at __a__ time, __but __instead __I __was__ too __busy __being__ a__ selfish __pacifist._

This, of course, was not a new thing. Everything Naoki did had a tendency to snowball – or fireball, in this case – into a major to total disaster. What bothered Naoki this time was that now all the responsibility was on HIM. He was the one given the power to fight back, not Isamu, but all he was doing was curling into a corner. Just like a coward.

The fireballs kept coming, kept pelting Naoki, but far more of them were missing the target wildly and impacting into the walls, and suddenly there was a crash as the wall behind Isamu buckled, swayed, then collapsed completely, falling away and down from the hospital towards the ground.

Naoki found himself staring at daylight and freedom in the form of a red sky and a desolate landscape. He looked down, tried to see how high they were, wondering if maybe they could jump down. . .but saw only more Pretas, climbing the outside of the Hospital from below.

"MAAAAAGATSUHI!"

"I can't take this much longer!" He shouted over the fireballs, shouted to make himself heard.

Pixie freed herself from his hand, shouted back. "I know, we need to push through! !I've got an idea! On the count of three, point that Preta of yours at them. One. . . Two . .. "

She steadied herself, gave a little yell, then punched the Preta in the stomach, causing it to gurgle.

"THREE! Turn it around, turn it around!"

Naoki obeyed, finally getting his hand out its mouth, pointing it at the hordes of Pretas mere seconds away from them, just in time for his Preta to give an enormous belch. . .

And incinerate absolutely everything as it vomited up a variety of tables, chairs, Preta skeletons, _human__skeletons_, partially digested medical instruments, X-rays – all of it came up and went - literally – hurling through the air at the horde in front of him in a mess of flaming goo and half-molten metal and fire.

_Napalm vomit. These things have Napalm Vomit._

The Pretas screamed as the vomit came raining onto them, their fireballs interrupted as they took a taste of their own medicine. The closest ones were killed instantly, clearing a temporary path through the horde. Pixie didn't give the Pretas time to compose themselves – she was firing electricity bolts left and right.

"Now's our chance! Let's get out of here, Pervert!"

"Not without Isamu!"

"Forget him!" Pixie shouted back. "We need to get moving, now!" The demons were advancing, approaching from all directions. They had to move, but Isamu seemed nailed to the floor in his terror, while Naoki was nailed to the floor by his own incompetence.

"I'm not leaving without Isamu! Isamu! Wake up!"

"I told you, leave him here!" _What__ sort __of __crazy __demon __IS __this __guy, __nearly __dying__ just __to __save __a __human? Something funny's going on here.  
><em>

Naoki continued to protest. "But he's holding the access key card!" It was true – Isamu was holding the card in his left hand, holding it in a grip so tight it he knuckles had turned white and the blood was dripping down from where it had cut into his skin.

"Bah. . .Fine!" the Pixie grumbled. "But that human's not going to listen to you, not unless you do it . . . " sparks flew from her hand, spinning around her fingers, then a bolt of lightning leaped from her hand and nailed Isamu square in the ass. ". . . LIKE THIS!"

_Well . . . her method is effective. . . _

Isamu was up, on his feet, sprinting through the room screeching as he went. He took one look at the Pretas, then did a flying kick through the air towards one of them, one of the Pretas that had been hit by the Napalm Vomit.

The Preta blinked.

"Want –"

Then it was reeling backwards as Isamu's shoe impacted with its nose, snapping its head back and sending the human cart wheeling through the horde out of sight. Pixie cheered as she flew back onto Naoki's head.

"Hi-ho Human, AWAY! Let's go, Pervert!"

Naoki took her advice – He held his Preta close, put his head down, charged into the fireballs and scratches of the Preta horde, collided with them and kept going. He could hear the Pixie firing electricity all around them, could hear shrieks of pain as Pretas were thrown left and right, could feel Pretas falling underfoot and being crushed beneath his shoes.

He had to block it out. These Pretas were mere distractions, obstacles in his way. "Wait for me, Isamu!" Naoki shouted as he charged through the horde of demons. He noticed dimly that his Preta, the Preta he was still holding onto, was helping out, albeit indirectly, by chomping at its own kin as they went past. He also noted that the Pretas were not holding their fire – literally – for one of their own – they were scratching, throwing fireballs freely at Naoki, completely uncaring that one of their kin was taking the brunt of the fire. For its part, the Preta seemed completely uncaring, only shouting "WANT EAT!" at the mayhem all around it.

_Where is Isamu?_

Naoki couldn't see a thing – his world was full of chaos. All he could see was purple fur, slashing limbs, orange fireballs, demonic blood. All he could feel were bones breaking, blood flowing, lightning arcing through the air. All he could taste was blood. All he could smell was sulphur and blood and vomit and death. All he could hear was the buzzing of electricity, the screeching of demons, the sound of his own voice yelling, his Preta yelling "WANT EAT!" every five seconds, the sound of combat and death. His whole world was combat and death.

Then a flash – he head-butted a Preta out of the way and pushed through the horde, came onto daylight.

"GO! GO! GO!"

"Waaant eaat!"

From here it was a mad sprint down the hallways, pursued by a multitude of Pretas and other demons that had joined the party, mostly disembodied skulls but a couple of other monsters as well. Naoki continued to run until he saw his goal – Isamu, shoving a trembling hand into the Annexe security machine, unlocking the door to freedom from hell.

Naoki cheered. "Way to go, Isamu!"

They had managed to fight their way to the Annexe, the end was in sight. The Annexe security machine inexplicably still functional. Naoki's heart surged in relief as the machine beeped as though greeting them, the friendly beep of an accepted card and the gate swinging open like a lover's embrace, Isamu jumping through the gap to safety.. .

Relief that quickly turned to horror when Isamu began pushing buttons on the other side, causing the machine to beep red again and start to close.

_No.. . he didn't' just – No, no no no no no no no no! _

"Don't tell me that he – HE HAS!" Pixie shouted behind him. "Frigging human's locked the gate!"

"Isamu! What are you doing!" Naoki shrieked as he watched the gate close, realized that he's friend was abandoning him to the horde, panicked. He doubled, tripled, quadrupled his efforts, punching and kicking his way through the mass of Pretas, lunging desperately for the rapidly closing gate. . .

He made it! But only by one hand, jamming it in the gate to prevent it from closing. Isamu screamed, ran for the gap as Naoki tried to open it further. He stuck his leg through the gap, began stomping on Naoki's fingers, urine flowing down from his pants as he frantically kicked at his friend, preventing him from opening the gate further and pursuing him further.

"GET AWAY!"

No, this was not his friend – this demonic boy covered in the blood of the demons he had slain with his own hand. This demonic boy who's blood no longer ran red, but black, a sticky black substance identical to that of any other run of the mill demon. This was not his friend.

This was a monster.

"GET AWAY!" he shouted again, trying to dislodge its fingers.

Naoki grunted with the pain, struggled with the gate, trying to open it further, wide enough for his ally to pass safely. "P-pixie!" He shouted. "Hurry, get through!"

The Pixie flew through the group with nary a backward glance. "Don't mind if I do. See you around, sucker!" She flew off, over Isamu's head. Isamu barely noticed her - wouldn't have cared too much if he did. His attention was completely focused elsewhere, on the monster in front of him, the monster in a vaguely humanoid form. "Damn you! Damn you!" He shouted in time with his kicking. "Hurry up and DIE!"

Naoki gasped, still holding his Preta in one hand, kept holding onto the gate, even as the Preta horde from behind began to envelop him in fire and blood. He tucked the Preta underneath with his free arm, shielding it from the fireballs and the claws, still held into the gate as he was buried under a pile of demons.

Despair filled his eyes as he began to beg. "Isamu, why! Why are you doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Isamu shouted back. "TO GET AWAY FROM YOU, DEMON CHILD!"

Naoki stared, his eyes widening in shock, his will to struggle and survive draining from him like a bottle of water slashed open at the bottom. _No.__..__._

Was it a hallucination? Did Isamu actually say those words? How could he have known them?

Then the horde was upon him, slashing him, burning him, and he was falling to the ground, whimpering, the last few glimmers of hope fading from view as the gate slammed shut, as Isamu abandoned him his fate, to be consumed by a horde of raging demons as the burning light of Full Kagutsuhi shimmered in the Annexe hall. . .

* * *

><p><em>He was alone for six whole days. Nobody noticed he was gone from his primary school classes, nobody rang up, nobody knocked on the door, nobody cared. Naoki as a five year old was left by himself, alone except for his mother's dead corpse, alone in a house that was locked up tight. He spent the first four days in a strange daydream state, not comprehending what was happening. Nothing made sense. His mother wouldn't get up off the floor, wouldn't cry, wouldn't do anything. The sun came up, the birds sang, life outside continued as normal. Inside the house, it was as though time had come to a complete halt. His mother had come to a halt, the routine had come to a halt, Naoki himself had come to a halt. For two full days, Naoki didn't move, didn't leave his mother's side. He didn't speak, eat, didn't drink, didn't even sleep. He didn't leave her side, even though his body physically responded as normal. It complained of hunger and first, defecated and urinated, staining the carpet behind him. The sun rose, the sun fell. Darkness to light to darkness to light and back again.<em>

_On the third day, the telephone rang and Naoki moved for the first time in nearly 90 hours – he was startled out of his stupor and face planted onto his mother's rigor mortised corpse. She was cold – ice cold, and quite obviously couldn't answer the phone. _

_He turned his head towards the telephone where it sat on a table in the kitchen, ringing for all it was worth. He blinked at it, trying to remember what it was, what it was used for. He had never used the phone before, but he'd seen her use it. Sometimes she used it to ring up for a pizza._

_Maybe that's who was ringing up now. Someone to give him food. _

_The phone rang eight times. That was how long it took Naoki to go less than five meters from his sentry duty beside his mother to the phone on the table. He reached it on the eighth ring, picked up the handset, put it to his ear. _

_He heard a voice. "Hello? Yurii? It's your mother, speaking. Are you there?"_

_He opened his mouth, moved his tongue in the proper way, moved his lips the way you were supposed to, the way he'd done so many times before. No words came._

_Fine then, be that way, give me the silent treatment, it won't change anything. Do you know what's just happened, Yuri? I've just been visited by the police. The police! What were you thinking!"_

_Speak, he told himself. It didn't work._

"_I thought when you had that bastard son of yours that it would be enough of a wake up call for you to change your ways! You TOLD me you were a different person, YOU told me you'd moved on! But instead, the police came knocking on my door, telling me you've fallen into your old habits again! How, Yuri! How could you defy the Lord Jesus' commandments AGAIN?"_

_SPEAK! He told himself. It didn't work._

"_Can you believe what they asked me? They asked if I could take custody of that bastard boy! They actually asked me that! During a prayer meeting! Right in front of the pastor! Now the rumours are circulating around the church! My reputation is ruined, an IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

_SPEAK! Why can't I speak? His mouth opened and closed like that of a fish but nothing came out._

"_Do you want to know what I told them? I told them 'I have no idea what you're talking about Officer, I haven't got no daughter like that.' Did you hear that, Yuri? I told them, 'I have no children, officer'. Do you know why I said that? Because it's true. You're not my daughter – you're a witch, destined to go to hell. Just like your bastard son! Yuri, did you hear that? YURI!"_

_There was no answer. There was nobody home._

"_Goodbye, Yuri. I hope you feel regret for what you've put me through."_

_Click._

_Naoki didn't return the phone to its hook, let it swing freely._

_On the fourth day, Naoki's body finally got tired off his inaction and forced him to make the decision to live. Whilst mentally he was still stopped, physically his body was moving. He got a drink. He went to the fridge, took out a bottle of orange juice, drank it from the bottle, emptied the 2 litre bottle in one sitting. Then he took some bread and cheese out of the fridge, and ate that too. He also finally read his bible again. God was probably really mad at him now, for forgetting to read the bible for five full days in a row. _

_Mother was gone. He wanted to go too. But where the mind was weak, the flesh was willing and the flesh had made the decision to stay. So he did._

_On the sixth day or technically the first one or two hours of the seventh, Naoki was sleeping in the lounge room when he was awakened by a noise, the sound of the front door being jiggled. He had been finally rescued by –off all things – a burglar, who had noticed the lack of activity for nearly the past week and had decided to take advantage of the situation. The burglar picked the lock, opened the door, entered the room, found themselves face to face with a small boy in racing car pyjamas, smelling like death warmed up, looking up at him with dead eyes. He'd taken in the scene – dead woman on the ground, mentally dead kid by the corpse. He'd entered the house, walked straight past the scene._

"_Don't judge me, kid," the burglar said to Naoki as he left, struggling with the big screen TV._

_But he left the door open, and Naoki saw his chance. He was already running, running through the streets, running as fast as he could in the middle of the night, shouting and shrieking for donuts. Why donuts? Why not?_

_Somebody saw him, came out, grabbed him, dragged him back kicking and squealing to the house, tossed him inside, shouting for his mother to take better care of her bastard son, but as they pushed him in they stepped in the mess he'd made on the floor. By sheer coincidence, a passing car lit up the room like a lantern._

_There came a scream, a hand rushing to a mouth in horror, then the clattering of footsteps and the hasty dialling of a mobile phone to the police. Words were spoken, agreements made, and suddenly things were happening around him, people talking to him and asking questions, ordering him to do things._

_But something was missing, something integral, and he couldn't speak, couldn't communicate, couldn't tell them how he felt. Something was gone, something important._

_That something was happiness._

* * *

><p>Naoki did an amazing thing, something he seriously didn't think he'd ever do again after that mess. He opened his eyes.<p>

_.__.__.__I__'__m __awake __again._

This did not feel him with enjoyment.

_Why am I not dead? What just happened?_

Everything hurt – his back felt like the skin had been sliced off with a samurai sword, his joints ached, his mouth was dry like sandpaper. He reached out with his senses, noted some things. He was lying on the floor, face down, stretched out, the floor cold to the touch. He couldn't see anything, but he could hear voices. More specifically, demonic growls. They should have been incomprehensible growls, but Naoki could understand them clearly.

". . . So, a unicorn walks into a bar, right? And the bar manager looks him up and down, and asks: Why the long face! HAHAHAHAHAHAA!"

Silence for several seconds, then it spoke again. "Oh, COME ON! Don't you guys get it? Why. . .the long. . .face? Because it's a unicorn?"

Another male voice, childlike, sounding even younger than Pixie's. ". . . I don't get it."

"You've seen unicorns right? They've got long faces. So when the manager asks him why the long place, he means "Why are you sad?" Because he thinks that the guy's got the long face because he's said? Get it now?"

Another voice, this time female, sounding a lot like the Pixie, but it was not her. ". .. I still don't get it. You suck at telling jokes, Shiisa! Why is it funny?"

"Be- Because. . . because. . . BAH! Hey, Shiki – you think my jokes are funny, right? RIGHT?"

"No, I don't," More growls, but different, coming from a different monster. "I think that they're really pathetic."

Naoki blinked, rolled over to his side, open his eyes.

He STARED.

From his vantage point on the floor, Naoki could see that he was back in one of the hospital rooms. He could also see that he was surrounded by a freak show of five monsters, one of them easily recognisable as a Preta rubbing its stomach painfully. Of the others, one looked a lot like Pixie, only with blond hair, red skin and white clothes, whilst another was a lion/dog thing that looked very similar to the statues he'd seen on Shinto Shrines – except that this lion-dog was not a statue. It was very much alive and telling bad jokes to a little blue thing that looked kind of like a floating lollipop with a face made up of three red squiggles, while a long paper snake thing floated in the air.

_Great. What's going on NOW?_


	8. Resolve

Chapter 7: Resolve

"Oh, come on!" the lion demon snarled. "It's a joke. It's funny! You're supposed to LAUGH! Laugh, or I'll shock the lot of you!"

"Don't bother," the paper demon spoke, revealing it possessed a mouth at one end. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to shock me?"

The lollipop smirked and jumped up and down. Naoki didn't actually see it speak, but it obviously was the speaker. "I do! I do! He reflected it and killed the Nekomata he was trying to admit to our group!"

"Stop bringing that story up!" The lion demon roared, his face going a little pink. "How was I to know she was weak to electricity?"

_What. . .what is this?_

"Hey, Shiisa," the Pixie look-alike said suddenly, pointing to Naoki as he stared wildly at them from his supine position on the floor "I think he's woken up." She bent down and smiled at him. "Hi, mister demon!"

"Ooh! Really?" the lion demon turned to stare at Naoki, leaned down and sniffed his face. "So he has! Hey there pal! You're finally awake!" He gave Naoki's face a lick, seemed completely unperturbed when the youth pushed him off and tried to scoot across the floor away from him. "Heehaw, don't worry buddy!"

"What – Who - . .. " Naoki couldn't speak for a few seconds, licked his tongue to speak better.

The dog-lion grinned. "Who are we?" It jumped, stood at attention, raised a paw to the roof.

"SOOOOOOUND OFF!" the dog lion pointed to himself. "Shiisa! Of the Holy Clan, Master of Lightning!"

The pixie look alike did a summersault in the air, grinning broadly. "Hua Po! Jirae! Master of Fire!" She seemed slightly older than the Pixie Naoki had met before, maybe about 10 or 11. He couldn't tell very well.

The Lollipop spoke next. "Kodama! Of the Jirae! Master of . . . " his voice trailed off for a second. Naoki couldn't tell, but the Kodama seemed even younger than any of the other demons – he couldn't be older than five. Mentally, at least.

"Force…" Shiisa whispered.

"Oh, right! Master of Force! Let's be friends, mister!"

There was a long pause.

"Hey.. .. " Shiisa whispered again. "Hey. .. Shiki . . ."

The paper monster didn't do anything, looked around and realized everyone was staring at him. ". . .what?"

"Ahem!" The Shiisa gave the paper monster a poke.

"Bah. Fine. Whatever. Shikigami of the Brutes, master of Deadpan Snarking."

All of the demons except for Shikigami spoke now. . . "And we are. . ."

"Here he goes again," the paper demon whispered in the background.

"The Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team! Seekers of Love! Peace! And Magatsuhi!"

"And lameness," the paper demon whispered again, but the dog-lion didn't seem to care Shiisa was standing with two paws in the air, while Kodama and Hua Po were carefully posed on his back. They were striking a pose.

The look on Naoki's face said it all.

_The hell?_

"So, now you've been introduced to our little band of idiots," Shikigami muttered. "Now introduce yourself."

". . .Oh. I'm . . . " he hesitated. "I'm . . .Naoki Kashima. Of the. .. uh . . ."

Before he could properly introduce himself, the Preta answered it for him. "He. . .. Naoki. . . . of the . . . Perverts. . . "

Naoki stared. So did everyone else. The effect on the room was immediate – the stylish pose the three demons were in collapsed upon itself immediately and Kodama was nearly squished flat as the others sprinted to the other side of the room in a flash. "Ahhh! Get him away from us!" they shouted.

_He must have heard Pixie call me that. RATS._

"No no no!" Naoki pleaded. "It's not like that! It was just a misunderstanding, she was badly hurt!"

"Sure, sure, that's what they all say!" Shiisa said as he cowered away from him.

"I'm serious!" Naoki protested.

Kodama simply stared in confusion. "Uh. . .is something wrong? Why is everybody running around?"

Shiisa spoke from the bottom of the demon pile. "It's nothing, nothing, Kodama! Never mind!"

Kodama wouldn't let it go. "I don't understand. What does Pervert –"

"Not until you're older," Shiisa told him.

"Oh, okay," the Kodama said, silent for a moment. Then he spoke again. "How about now?"

"OLDER THAN THAT!"

"Please listen to me!" Naoki protested. "It's just a misunderstanding. Um . . can somebody tell me how I got here? The last thing I remember is a Lot of Pretas."

Hua Po was the one who answered his question. "Ha, sure! You're in Shinjuku Hospital Annexe, second floor, one of the hospital rooms, and you came in on your own two feet! You just barged in, holding that Preta of yours, then face planted on the floor. So we took care of you!" She grinned.

"You did?" Naoki stared. "Um . .. thank you."

Hua Po looked at him curiously for a moment, then continued. "Sure, we were going to eat you. . . " at this point Naoki stared at her in terror. ". . . but then we did a little snooping, decided you were useful enough alive!"

"I healed you, Mr Pervert!" Kodama spoke cheerfully. "Pervert. Peeerr Veeerrrt. Heheh, it's a funny word!"

"W – Why? What do you mean, useful alive?" _Are__they__going__to__eat__me,__like__the__Pretas__were__going__to__eat__Isamu?_

"Why else, silly?" she grinned at him. "We help you out, then you help us out! We need you and your hot muscles to do us a favour. You see, there's somebody we need taken care of."

"Taken . . .care of?" Naoki didn't like where this was going.

"Yup," Kodama answered. "He's name is Forneus of the Fallen. He's a big meanie whose taken over Shinjuku and won't let us leave! He's the one in charge of the Pretas and he took all the Magatsuhi for himself and won't give us any!"

"Yes!" Shiisa barked. "He's one nasty bugger – tough as hell. Matter of fact, he's one of the Marquis of Hell themselves, in charge of 29 legions of angels!"

_ANGELS? _

Naoki couldn't have heard right. "Seriously?" he asked.

"Seriously!" Shiisa cheered. "As Leader of the Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team, I have made it my mission to kick him out of here, and take all of the Magatsuhi for my –"

The other demons turned to stare at Shiisa angrily.

"Uh. . . . I mean, ourselves! He guards the front door, the only way in or out of this place, and parades around like he owns the place, demanding a toll to pass. Well, I told him exactly where he could stick his toll, and then we beat him up so bad that he let us enter. "

"No you didn't!" Shiki grumbled. "The only reason we got in trouble was because you tried to pay the toll in fake macca!"

"He didn't need to hear about that! But yeah. Now the nasty guy won't let us back out, not even when we offered him chocolate cake."

"Seriously," Hua Po said. "He's so strong and so mean and so nasty, he hurt us really bad when we fought him! He ripped off both my arms, slashed Shiki in half and crushed Shiisa's ribs! We would've died if not for Kodama's Dia spell!"

Kodama smiled happily. "But now that mean old Forneus is going to die! We're going to use our secret weapon to kill him!" The two Jirae got into a singnig match.

"We're going to rip off his arms – err, fins!"

"Slash him in half!"

"Crush his ribs!"

"Kill!" The two demons descended into a fit of manic giggles.

"K-kill?" Naoki blinked. The sound of a pair of young children giggling about inflicting torture and murder was unnerving to him.

"Yep! We're going to make him pay for what he did to us, now that we've finally got our secret weapon!"

"Uh. . .what is this secret weapon?" Naoki asked.

"Ahahahaha!" Hua Po laughed. "It's you, silly!"

Naoki stared. "What – but I'm just –" _a __human __who__'__s __stuck __in __a __horrible __nightmare __and __wishes __he __could __just __wake __up __because __he__'__s __not __a __demon, __honest__ – _"I'm just some random guy. I can't kill anybody, that's wrong!"

"Ahahahaa!" the two demons laughed louder.

The Shikigami snorted. "For a person who can't kill anybody, you do pretty well for yourself."

Naoki blinked at the paper demon in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember?" Shikigami asked him.

"About what?"

Shiisa smirked. "Let's show him what we mean."

The other demons nodded, opened the door to the room, indicated Naoki to come out and look. He followed them out, looked around . .. STARED, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. _Did__ – __did__I__ – _

He could see all the way from the annexe passageway to here – it was just one long passage. The gate machine was ripped apart, absolutely obliterated, its bars badly bent out of shape, some even completely ripped off. The walls were splattered with blood. And the ground was absolutely covered in Preta corpses, everywhere. There were corpses ripped in half, corpses disebowled, corpses with holes punched in them, some corpses impaled on the gate spikes. . .

_They're all dead. The whole horde. . . _

The memories came flooding back – flashes of them – seeing Isamu and Pixie abandon him, falling to the ground, trying to will himself away from the nightmare, being covered in Pretas, struggling against them, winning the fight, standing up . . . going berserk . . . attacking Pretas. . . killing Pretas. . . torturing Pretas. . . mutiliating Pretas. . .eating Pretas. . .

Naoki fell to his knees and threw up.

"Clean up on Aisle three!" shouted Hua Po and Kodama together.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in other part of the hospital. . .<p>

WOOOOOOOOHHOOOO!" shouted the Pixie from her vantage point on Isamu's hat, where she'd decided to reside ever since they abandoned Naoki back at the pathway. _No __wonder __the __Pervert __wanted __one__ of __these __things!__ Sustenance, __entertainment__ and__ transport__ in __one!__ Humans__ RULE!_

Below her, Isamu continued on his way through the hospital, repeating the same things over and over: _I __have __to __run __to __safety,__ have __to__ run __to __safety_,. He had been running for seemingly hours now, ever since he'd woken up from a nightmare in which a bright light had yelled at him. The weirdest thing was that Isamu couldn't remember ever falling asleep.

He could still remember the voice from the nightmare.

**You who are about to enter my domain, show me your soul. **

He'd woken up, glanced around the place, then run into a ghost who told him told the world had ended. Just like that.

Of course, Isamu didn't believe him. He was the badass of the school, after all, not a sissy who believed in ghosts or ends of the world. So he'd continued on his merry way through the hospital, whistling a tune to cover up how unnerved he was by the whole experience. This cheery demeanour had come to an abrupt halt when he ran straight into a battle between the two demons he'd seen before by the basement door and a horde of purple hippy things.

Now he was free, and he was running as fast as he could, but he was unable to scream anymore and his manic adrenalin rush was running out. He fell to the ground, coughed and gasped for air. Above him, the Pixie continued to whoop and cheer.

"Aw – don't tell me you've run out of energy already? We've only gone a few meters! Hurry up, human, or we might run into the Pervert and the other demons again!"

Isamu glanced up from where he was on hands and knees, remembering the name. _Naoki__..__._

He hadn't recognised Naoki when he burst in the room, sending the purple hippy things flying. He'd looked like a wild beast, covered in blood with blue stripes to glowed menacingly in the darkness and Isamu had stared, not recognising this thing that had just saved him. When the monster introduced himself as Naoki, Isamu had refused to believe it, so he'd hit him with the bar.

Then the hundreds of purple freaks had arrived, and Isamu DID believe that this monster was Naoki Kashima, teacher's pet of the class and all round nerd. Of course it was Naoki. Who else would be stupid enough to stand in front of a wall of fire?

Isamu remembered one time when they were younger. It had been an argument over fathers. Isamu's father was a drunken and abusive alcoholic who had little time for his son. Naoki had had the GALL to tell Isamu that he should be thankful for the fact that Isamu had a father at all. This had made Isamu furious, and at the end of the argument he had ordered Naoki to go take a long walk off a short pier.

Thus did Isamu learn that Naoki couldn't swim.

When the Pretas rushed in, Isamu realized that something was different. No, not just in the markings – he'd already figured that bit out. It was in Naoki's mannerisms, his actions, his beliefs . The Naoki Isamu knew wouldn't face down the demons like he did – he'd lie down and die so that Isamu could be the hero, so Isamu could beat the bad guys down. Naoki wasn't supposed to be the strong one! Isamu wasn't supposed to be the weak one!

_This __isn__'__t __how __it__'__s __supposed __to__ happen!_

The situations were reversed and Isamu had concluded that this could not be Naoki Kashima, was NOT Naoki Kashima. It was a doppelganger, a monster in human form and he no longer believed it was Naoki.

So he had shunned it, yelled at it, kicked it in the head, locked It behind him, abandoned him. The monster had begged him, pleaded with him, and as it begged Isamu found himself recognising Naoki again, despite the markings that crisscrossed his face like tacky neon body paint.

It was his eyes. His eyes were still the same, still the blue they always were. He still had that puppy dog look, always eager to please, the look he always gave bullies when they were beating him up.

Now Isamu didn't know what to believe.

_Was __that __Naoki? __Or __a __monster?_

Or

_was__ it __both?_

Atop his head, the Pixie sighed happily, getting a little tipsy from all the Magatsuhi she was absorbing, unable to care less about Naoki and his identity crisis, Truthfully, she'd lied to Naoki earlier when she'd bragged about killing some humans – she actually wasn't strong enough to do something so impressive, her nifty Zio lightning spell a source of excruciating agony but not death. Besides, it was far more profitable to hang about humans when they were alive. Magatsuhi was highly dependant on the intensity of strong emotions, usually negative ones like grief, terror and rage, but there was some from passion as well.

Pixie, like pretty much any other demon, could not create Magatsuhi herself – they needed to feed on humans, just as humans in turn needed to feed on other things. It was a demon's very spark of existence, their way of gaining strength and power, and it was a substance absolutely every demon wanted – with one exception, of course, but he was a Pervert and was dead now, so he didn't matter. Anyway, she had the human now, so life was good.

At least, it was until the amount of Magatsuhi emanating from the human changed.

At first she didn't know what had happened – the human had gotten up off the ground, catching his breath, looking around, clearly thinking. But something was different, and she didn't like it. She gave the human a poke. "Hey! What are you doing, hat boy?"

Isamu had made a decision. He had to stop screwing around and start getting serious. _I__'__m__ Isamu__ Nitta, __the __badass __of__ the __Class!_He had to get out of this hospital, find the bastard responsible for this chaos, and punch them in the face until their tongue emerged out of their own ass.

_I need a weapon._

The metal bar was useless – it had been bent and broken by the thing formerly known as Naoki, so he had to get another one. A weapon. Preferably a gun, although finding one in a private Hospital of all places wouldn't be very likely. He looked around, saw a broom leaning against the wall.

_That'll do._

He grabbed the handle, gave it a practice swing. Atop his hat, the Pixie grinned as she realized what Hat Boy was contemplating doing.

"Hehehehehe," came the giggling from Isamu's hat. "This'll be good."_._

_Why__ is __my__ hat __talking __to__ me?_

Isamu was momentarily confused, but put it out of his mind. So he was hallucinating –who cared? He was the Badass Isamu Nitta, he wouldn't stop for his hat talking to him, or for seeing monsters running around – not even when his broomstick grew arms and started whine –

_Wait – WHAT THE -?_

The broomstick moved on its own – it turned around, stared back at him. The broom had a face, arms and legs – it was alive! It's face scowled up at Isamu as he made a strangled squeak, a high pitched noise part way between swearing and squealing.

"DO YOU MIND?" the broomstick asked him in an old lady's voice. "That was immensely rude! Honestly, children these days. . ."

* * *

><p>Naoki Kashima stood on his knees in the middle of the hallway, staring wild eyed toward the annexe pathway. Before him lay a scene of utter destruction, of blood and gore and horror that he knew now that he had caused.<p>

Behind him, a group of demons were poking him in the shoulders, completely unbothered by the situation.

"Come on, mister! Let's play, let's play!" Kodama tugged Naoki's arm.

A demon – the Hua Po – give Naoki a punch. "TAG! You're it!" She flew off, waiting for Naoki to chase after her, looking back in confusion when he didn't. She turned in midair, glared at him, then summoned a ball of fire in her left hand and throw it at him.

He didn't even notice it singing his hair. He was a little preoccupied.

_How. . . how could I have done this?_

Naoki knew that he'd killed Pretas, that the Pretas had squealed, made noises that indicated they felt the pain he caused them and that he hadn't cared. They were demons, sure, but they were still . . .living? . . . beings,

How could he have changed so much within the span of . . . however long it was? How could he have gone from refusing to hurt a fly to massacring so many in such a short time?

This made it the forth time. Four times – once in the Labyrinth, once upon meeting the Pixie, once upon arguing with Isamu, once upon fighting the Pretas. Four times, four individual times, that Naoki had felt an urge to kill and cause pain.

_What caused that urge?_

He had been thinking for several minutes now, and he had now come up with a likely culprit - the Magatama embedded in his own head.

Naoki knew he was a demon because of the centipede thing that had been dropped on his head, but previously he had assumed that after transforming him the thing had merely disappeared or wandered off. He knew now that was not the case. The horn sticking out of his neck WAS the Magatama, transmogrified into a new form, altering its own shape just as it had altered his. But it wasn't dead. He could feel it, moving around slightly. The Magatama anticipated the fight, relished it, wanted more.

_I could have killed Isamu and the Pixie, along with all the other demons here!_

He looked around in panic for their corpses, thankfully found only dead Pretas.

As time went on, the Magatama had seemed to change its activity, an activity that seemed to fluctuate in the same degree as the sun. He had noticed, earlier, that the sun had changed in its brightness as he'd explored the Hospital, sometimes being exceptionally bright, other times dark. From what he could tell, the light had been at its brightest when –

. . . when he had been chasing the Pretas through the hallways. At the same time, the Magatama in his head had been at its most active as well. Therefore: the Magatama had driven him berserk, driven him to kill all these people.

_The __devil__'__s __making __me __do__ it_. He found the thought incredibly ironic, but not reassuring.

The light was still bright, very bright, but not as bright as it was during that terrible moment, but he could feel it – feel the Magatama in his horn thrash about, could feel his body trembling in anticipation of its next fight.

_I really don't have a choice in this._

Behind him, the demons were tapping their feet, waiting for him to finish doing whatever the heck it was he was doing. All except the one surviving Preta, of course – it was stuffing its face on its own kin, gorging itself as fast as it could.

"Is he. . . finished?" Hua Po asked the others.

Shiisa answered her. "Honestly? I can't tell. I don't even know what the heck he's doing."

"Strange. .. is he mourning their deaths?" Shikigami whispered.

Naoki glanced, turned to his horror show company, sighed.

"So. . . . " Shiisa asked him. "Are you done yet?"

_This __doesn__'__t__ change __anything. __I __can__'__t __lie__ down__ in __my __despair.__ I __have__ to __find__ the __others. __Isamu__'__s __still __alive, __Chiaki__'__s __waiting__ for __me __under __a __stack __of __rubble, __Hijiri__'__s __still __with __the __pillar, __Hikawa__'__s __probably __already__ left__ the __building __and __taken __Ms.__Takao __with __him. __She__ gave__ me__ this __power __to__ help__ the __others__ and __I __have __to __do__i t.__ I__'__m __the__ only __one __who__ can._

He stood up and spoke. "Yeah. I'm done."

"Do we have to kill you in gruesome ways? Or are you going to help us defeat Forneus?" The Shiisa asked hopefully.

Naoki sighed, apologized to God, hoping he would be forgiven for sinning even more. "He's blocking the exit, isn't he? I need to get out of here, to meet up with my friend."

Shiisa grinned. "Excellent! I will await news of your accomplishment!"

Naoki blanched. "You – you're not going to help me?"

"Huh? Us?" the Shiisa blinked. "Well, no, I wasn't planning on it . .."

He was immediately elbowed in the side by Shikigami.

"I mean, yes, of course we were! Yes! We're right behind you! Naoki Kashima, I formerly welcome you to the Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team. " The dog-lion jumped to attention.

"SOOOOOOOOOOUND OFF! Shiisa of the Holy Clan, Master of Lightning!"

"Kodama of the Jirae, master of Fire!"

"Hua Po of the Jirae! Master of . . . wait a minute Kodama, I'M the master of Fire! You're the master of Force! Say it again!"

"Oh, okay. .. Kodama of the Jirae, Master of Force!"

"Good. Hua Po of the Jirae, master of Fire!"

"Not this again. .. " Shikigami muttered.

Hua Po gave him a poke.

"Fine, FINE. Shikigami of the Brute Clan, Master of Deadpan Snarking. Congratulations Naoki Kashima, now you have to go through this inane ritual yourself."

"Huh?" Naoki blinked.

"Sign off, like we did! Name and . . ." The Shiisa's voice tailed off as he realized a problem. "Actually, just state your name."

"Okay." Naoki didn't have a problem with that. He raised a hand. "Naoki Kashima!"

"Aren't you going to pick a mastery?" Kodama asked him.

"NO HE'S NOT!" Shikigami replied, perhaps worried at exactly what mastery he WOULD pick.

To his surprise, the Preta behind him did exactly the same, actually stopped eating momentarily. "Me Preta. . . of Haunt Clan. . . WANT EAT!"

"Well met, both of you!" The Shiisa said. "Right then, Naoki. Follow me! To Love! Peace! And Magatsuhi! Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration –"

The Shiisa's motto was interrupted by a sudden screech, a screech of pure terror.

"WOOOOAAAHH!"

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" asked Hua Po.

"How couldn't we?" came Shikigami's retort. "Sounds like some human."

_That voice. . . It's Isamu_

"It came from over there!" the Kodama squealed, doing mid air summersaults by the inside window that overlooked the Annexe entrance. "Look Look! Something's happening!"

Everybody ran over to check the sights, including Naoki, who stared in shock when he arrived. It was Isamu, bursting into the lobby, swinging a broom back and forth as though it were a sword. A sword that. . .was speaking. More specifically, screaming.

"YOU BRUTE! Did anybody tell you to respect your elders? Unhand me this instant!"

"Is that. . . Datsue Ba?" Shiisa asked. "Why on earth is she being swung around like a weapon?"

"He probably got her while she was taking a nap in one of the rooms," Shikigami replied. "Serves her right for taking my old master's clothes."

"Old master?" Naoki asked.

"Shiki here was summoned to serve as some human's familiar," Hua Po explained. "I toasted the human's ass, hung 'em on a tree, and whilst they was dying, Datsue Ba came and nicked all his clothes."

"It was my tree," Kodama whinged, "And it wasn't supposed to be used that way."

"Want eat," said the Preta.

"Good times," said the Hua Po. "Me and the others were making a tidy profit that way, selling all the clothes of the heretics we hanged."

"Stop talking about her," Shikigami snarled.

_Her?_

"Guys, would you shut up?" Shiisa growled. "I'm trying to watch!"

The other demons mumbled an apology and went back to watching the scene below. It was obviously now that Isamu was in combat with something. As he focused closer, he recognised it as one of the skulls Naoki had fought in Amala, the ones with the purple mist. This one was roaring at Isamu, looking very upset. Suddenly, it charged at the human. Isamu was ready, however, and before the skull could reach him he swung the broom like a baseball bat and scored a hit. The skull was sent flying into the wall and the purple mist dissipated.

"YEAH!" Isamu shouted at the top of his lungs, continuing to swing his Datsue Ba weapon around. "Who wants to take me on next, EH!

"Unhand me this instant, human!" His weapon screeched.

Hua Po turned to the others. "Should we warn him?"

"Naah," Shikigami replied. "Let him get what's coming for him."

"What do you mean?" Naoki asked.

The paper demon smirked. "You'll see. . ." It turned to Shiisa. "I bet you five hundred macca he's about to get eaten."

"You're on!" Shiisa replied.

Isamu was exuberant – he'd managed to fight off the terrible monster, ALL BY HIMSELF! Never mind the shrieking of his broom, never mind the fact that his hat had been egging him on, telling him to fight more and more. Now he was high on adrenaline, the end was in sight, the other monsters were nowhere to be seen, things were looking up.

_. . . wait._

_What's that sound?_

There was a rumbling, similar to the rumbling of before, when he was reading a comic on one of the beds of the main hospital's second floor and there had been a vibration that made the bed shake. Isamu had thought it was an earthquake, so maybe this was an aftershock. He held his Datsue Ba weapon securely, ignoring its wailing. The shaking only grew more violent, however.

"W – w- what's happening?" asked the Pixie.

"Here he comes . . ." Shiki muttered, five coins marked "100" sitting in front of him.

"Who?" Naoki asked. _Where __did __those __coins __come __from?_

"Forneus. . ."

The rumbling was getting louder beneath Isamu's feet, making him more and more uneasy. Then it stopped.

Isamu blinked.

Isamu glanced down at the ground.

_. . . ?_

_. . . _

_OH CRAP!_

He stared in stunned disbelief. "HOLY –" He was already running, sprinting for the hospital door, just in time to avoid the GIGANTIC MOUTH that appeared underneath his feet, easily big enough to swallow him whole. He continued to run as the mouth revealed itself as belonging to a gigantic manta Ray that came leaping out of the ground as though it were water, leaping several meters into the air, all the way up to the demons watching on the second floor.

"THAT'S FORNEUS?" Naoki shrieked. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, that he had just seen a Manta Ray come leaping out of a tiled and carpeted floor.

"Yep," Kodama answered him.

From their position, Naoki could see what he'd just agreed to defeat clearly now. It was a dark blue manta ray that looked, well, almost like any other manta ray he'd seen, except for the minor facts that it was wearing a silver crown, and that it was ABSOLUTELY BLOOMING HUGE, easily the size of your average sedan. For a few seconds it simply hang in the air, staring at the demons above it – specifically at Naoki himself.

Then it turned in mid air, flapping its fins as though they were wings, staring at Isamu who was running for the exit. It spoke. "In just which compass direction do you think you're going, little Homo Sapient? I have been specifically instructed to not allow any ingress or egress from this establishment!

"What did he say?" Kodama asked.

"He said he hates the human's guts and he wants to kill him."

"Oh. Then why'd he use such big words?"

Shiisa answered him. "Well, he IS a master of rhetoric and languages."

Then the Ray was charging for Isamu, crossing the distance in an instant, cavernous mouth extended. Isamu screeched, swung his Datsue Ba broom and stuck it in Forneus mouth where it jammed and prevented the demon from speaking coherently.

"Woah! Score one for the human!" Isamu's hat declared.

"AH!" the demon yelled. "Oou –OOu ITTLE OTHER UCKER!"

The broom was ripped out of Isamu's hands and he was sent flying by a swipe from Forneus' tail, knocked into a wall. "I'll AKE OO AY OR IS! EPARE OO IE!"

". . .or not," Isamu's hat grumbled. Suddenly it moved, lifted of his head, revealing the Pixie, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Damn it! Now look what you've done you stupid human, you nearly got me killed! This is too much for me - I'm out! Later, weakling!" She turned, to fly off into the sunset . . .sunrise . . .BAH! Whatever the heck you could call it now, she was going to fly off into it.

At least, she was until Forneus appeared directly in front of her, blocking the exit. "Ust air oo oou ink OO'RE oing of oo!"

_CRAP._

"Uhh. . . nowhere," Pixie said sweetly.


	9. Alliances

Chapter 8: Alliance

If there was one thing Forneus prided himself on, it was his voice. He shook, flinging his head from side to side, trying to dislodge the Datsue Ba that was jamming his mouth and ruining his speech to almost complete incoherence. When that didn't work, he bit down instead, down on the broom demon that was forcing its mouth open, biting down as hard as it could and thrashing, blocking the door to prevent both Isamu and Pixie from escaping.

The Datsue Ba began to scream. "NO! I'm far too beautiful to die like this!" The handle of the broom began to splinter, black blood seeping through the cracks. Her screaming just made the Forneus bite down harder, though. As the sound increased, Naoki averted his eyes. Demon as he may be in body, he was still human in his soul and he could not bear to watch.

He didn't need to, however – the demons around him gave him a full running commentary.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! That's GOT to hurt!" Hua Po.

"Fatality!" Kodama. "He bit her clean in two!"

"Serves her right for nicking her clothes." Shikigami.

"Heh. Looks like you're going to have to pay up, Shiki!" Shiisa.

"Want Eat!" Preta.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Isamu. He was screaming. Naoki looked back up, felt a chill down as his spine. Shattered fragments were all that remained of the Broom Demon. More importantly however, Isamu had been knocked into a corner and was staring at the Ray with wide eyes. For his part, Foorneus was glaring back at the human, either gloating in his victory or merely absorbing the truckload of Magatsuhi the boy was emitting in his terror.

He spoke. "So, little homo sapient, what shall I do with or to you?"

Isamu trembled in reply.

"Should I . . . castrate you? Disembowel you? So many different recommendations and so much time to do it in. Did you know that I am capable of fine precision cutting with these fins! I have a habit of using them to butcher anyone who disrespects me!" Forneus did a couple of flips in the air, spraying ice out his mouth with laughter.

"Hmm . .. I know! I think I'll – " but he didn't get a chance to finish his threat, as there suddenly came an enormous crash up above him. Suddenly, broken glass began raining down on him, causing him to look away from his prey. "What in the –"

The demons up above the ray backed away from Naoki where he'd shattered the annexe glass separating him from Isamu. They were all thinking exactly the same thing, but only Kodama voiced it.

"Hey mister, what did you do that for?"

Naoki ignored them and shouted through the open gap. "ISAMU!"

Isamu stared back blankly.

"RUN, ISAMU!" Naoki yelled. He didn't know if Isamu heard him, but maybe it didn't matter – Isamu was taking his chance, leaping to his feet and running as though every monster in the world was after him. Which, in this day and age, might not be far from the truth. He escaped the hospital, left without looking back.

Forneus frowned, snarled, then showed of his mythical linguistic abilities by swearing in every known human language

"Great, just great," Shiisa muttered. "Now look what you've done!"

"Huh?" Naoki asked, fixated on the scene below him. _He got away, Isamu got away, he got away! He escaped!_

Demonic snarls and growls interrupted Naoki from his silent celebration. He looked up, turned around, realized that he was surrounded by monsters. Not just Pretas, but purple Skulls, paper demons like Shikigami, fairy demons like Hua Po and lollipop wrappers like Kodama.

"Friends of yours?" Naoki asked hopefully.

Shikigami shook its head. "No. "

Naoki took one glance at the oncoming rush of demons, looked back through the window at the scene below him – Isamu escaped, Pixie seemingly vanished into thin air, Forneus looking absolutely outraged – and decided discretion was the better part of valour. So did the rest of the Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team, it seemed – they were running away, not in any real formation – just running away.

Naoki followed them, dodging spells of fire and lightning. Occasionally, Hua Po would throw a couple of fireballs back, Kodama would fling waves of pure . . .force? at any demon that got too close, and the paper Shikigami was made of seemed able to reflect electricity back at its source. The Preta ran as fast as it could, not trying to eat anything for once, while Shiisa. . . what WAS Shiisa doing, anyway?

"Hey Shiki, did I ever tell you about the time I –"

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT NOW!" Shikigami yelled at the dog/lion over the demonic growls and roars.

At first, things were looking good – they managed to make their way down the stairs to the ground floor without any real injuries, and the annexe looked to be almost undamaged –

- But then there came a colossal crash, and Forneus came bursting through the wall, roaring and sending the group to a crashing halt. "Freeze!" The Ray yelled, barrel rolling in the air. There was just enough time for Shiisa to yell "SHIT!" then the Ray sent out a . . .well. . ."ray" of ice straight at the group.

They were too close to avoid the blast at it enveloped them completely in a wall of bone chilling cold.. Strangely enough, it was almost calming to Naoki after being electrocuted and burned all the time.

_Well, this isn't too bad._

But then the cold grew more intense and suddenly Naoki couldn't move his legs anymore and he panicked. Gradually, the ray of ice faded, but as he looked around he could see that the damage had been done.

Shiisa was embedded in the ice, up to its neck, all four paws completely trapped, The other demons in a similar predicament, some worse off than other's. The Preta was completely encased in ice, two fairy legs sticking out if its mouth.

_Did it eat a fairy?_

Over there was Hua Po, also completely encased in ice except for one hand, which was pointing towards Forneus . . .with the middle finger extended. Kodama had avoided the ice and was doing figure eights around the other Jirae in concern, whilst Shikigami had wrapped himself around Naoki's head as though he was a bandanna. Naoki himself was frozen in ice all the way up to his middle, his legs completely immobilized and frozen in mid run.

_Not good!_

"Rats! I . . .I can't move!" Shiisa snarled.

"Yeah, being immobilized in minus 200 degree ice will do that to you," Forneus chortled in his victory. Then he noticed Naoki. "Hey – hey you! In the obsidian lower leg covering!"

"Who. . ." Naoki blinked. "Who, me?"

"Yeah you! I've never seen your visage around before, but I've already concluded that I strongly dislike it! That was a most undesirable jinx you played on me before, letting that human escape. That really made me most disgruntled!"

"What's he saying?" Kodama whispered. "He's using too big words."

"He's saying Naoki pissed him off," Shikigami answered him.

"Oooh. The big meanie!"

"I . . . I'm sorry," Naoki said. _I cannot believe I'm actually speaking to a Manta Ray. And the Manta Ray is speaking back. _"But, that guy was a friend of mine, and –"

"HA! A friend! You're friends with a HUMAN!" Forneus burst out laughing, not seeming to notice Shikigami staring at Naoki in disbelief. "That's got to be the most hilarious thing I've ever heard in all my centuries of existence. For shame, Shiisa! To think that your precious Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team has descended so low as to recruit a human loving demon like that!"

"Oh YEAH?" Shiisa yelled back. "Well, this human loving demon is going to kick your ass, just like he kicked the asses of all your Preta groupies!"

This only made the Ray laugh louder. "Oh, really! So you're one of those demons, are you, punk? You think you can just teleport in here and start disrespecting me?"

"Uh, no. . " Naoki's protests were overridden by Kodama.

"That's right! He's here to smack you all the way back into the ocean!"

"Oh Really?"

"Yea Really!"

"Well, let me tell you punk in the pants, I have this bad habit of butchering anyone who disrespects me. I cut them up with these fins! Hahahaha!" The ray did a couple of flips in the air, spraying ice out of its mouth with laughter.

"Are you done yet?" Shikigami asked, completely disinterested.

Forneus kept laughing for a while, before finally composing itself again. ".. . .yeah, I'm good. PREPARE TO DIE!"

Then he was charging, charging straight for Naoki as the latter struggled to break free of the ice. The Shikigami around his head crackled for a second, then sent a bolt of electricity flying through the air that nailed the Ray in the eye, throwing off his aim. This gave Naoki just enough time to grab the Ray in his hands, one hand on the top jaw, the other on the lower jaw.

With a few well placed electrical shocks, Shiisa broke free from the ice and looked around to see if how many were dead or not . But Naoki was immobilized, still injured from the Preta horde earlier, and he had taken some hits from Forneus as well. The sheer coldness of the ice would sap his demonic strength, slow him down, and the slower he got the more in trouble he would be unless somebody helped him. Not wanting to see their best chance for defeating the Ray go to waste, Shiisa charged forward, readying his electricity to assist in the battle, but before he could go a few paces Naoki shouted at him.

"No! I can deal with this! Help the others! Hurry up!" Naoki shouted from where he was struggling with the Manta Ray and losing. His fingers were just like the rest of him, going numb from the cold. He really couldn't hold on much longer. His arms still ached from the chilling cold, but the desire to protect his friends gave him new strength to hold the enormous ray back.

"You little jerk!" Forneus snarled, firing ice all over the place as it struggled to escape Naoki's grip. Naoki found himself catching a face full of ice, causing him to close his eyes in pain but it didn't deter his hold. He did, however, hear a thud and out of the corner of his eye saw Shikigami land on the ground, immobilized in the ice except for his head.

Meanwhile, Shiisa couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing. It wasn't that Naoki was fighting Forneus. ON HIS OWN, HURTING IT. Anybody who could take out a hundred Pretas on his own had to be something special.. But the sole reason he was fighting the Ray at all was so the others could. . .escape? That made no sense.

_What the Belial is with this demon? _ _He almost acts like a . . . _

No, Shiisa couldn't even say the word, it was so horrible. There had to be another reason.

Shiisa blinked, shrugged his shoulders. _Well, if he says so. . . _He went for the Hua Po first, scratching the ice until she was completely defrosted,

As he glanced at the others, Shiisa could tell that Shikigami had the same look on his face as well: a look of absolute astonishment and disbelief and .. .recognition? Yes, now that Shiisa thought about it, Shiki had told him a little about his human summoner, a member of a cult who had summoned him as a familiar before she was hanged on Kodama's sacred tree. Apparently, Naoki had the same radical ideas of saving people for no material gain as that human heretic did.

_How odd. Maybe this guy was summoned to be a Familiar as well, or maybe as a lover to a human. It had been kno_wn to happen, particularly with the Incubus and Succubus and Lilim types. It would certainly explain his perverted tendencies. Not that Shiisa had seen any of them.

"The Pervert guy says go help the others!" Shiisa told Hua Po as he finished digging her free.

"Screw that!" she answered. "I'm going to make that fish finger pay for ruining my hairdo!" And with that, she hurled a fireball in Forneus' direction. Unfortunately, her aim was a little off – it missed the Ray completely, but nailed Naoki square in his rear.

"OW!" Naoki yelled.

"Darn, I missed. The ray, anyway."

However, this turned out to be a good thing. The fire was hot enough to melt the ice immobilizing Naoki's legs, allowing him to break free of the ice. Now mobile again, Naoki head butted the Ray, causing it to snarl, then readied his fist and gave Forneus a whopping big punch to the head.

"AAAH!" The Manta Ray reeled, flapped its fins and flew upwards, breaking through the ceiling above them and causing it to cave in. "You miniscule piece of – " the rest of his tirade was muffled by the sounds of falling debris, which fell on top of him and caused him to vanish from view.

But the falling debris split the 1st floor in half, preventing them from getting to the lobby and freedom, and now the demons that had been following them were starting to reappear again.

"What do we do now?" Naoki yelled over the demonic shrieks and bolts of lightning and fire.

Shiisa shook the remaining ice crystals from his coat, sped off towards the stairs. "There's another way to the annexe lobby through the underground facility! Shinjuku Hospital Investigation Team, Awaaaaay!" The lion/dog sprinted off down the basement, closely followed by the Hua Po and Kodama.

Naoki hesitated. "What about the Preta and Shiki?"

"Forget them!" Shiisa yelled back. "Let the other Pretas eat 'em, it'll slow them down!"

Naoki stared at the lion/dog, then at the oncoming rush of demons, then at the still frozen Preta and Shikigami.

"Hurry up, already!" Shiisa yelled.

Naoki hurried. He ran to the still frozen Preta and Shikigami, picked them up in his hands, then hurried off after the others, pursued by an army of irate demons.

* * *

><p><em>It's quiet again. Too quiet.<em>

To be honest, Jyoji Hijiri really hadn't had that much time to study the spinning artefact – he'd been too busy trying to turn invisible, trying to ignore all the terrifying growls he had heard. During a temporary quiet point when it was almost completely dark, Hijiri had left the room and spoken to a ghost in a business suit, learning some valuable information in the process. He had also learned that the ghost he was talking to was a lawyer. This did not surprise him in the slightest. The only ones to survive the Apocalypse were supposed to be the cockroaches and the lawyers, after all.

Back in with the pillar, Hijiri had made no real advances. He was just about to continue his studies when there came a knock on the door. Hijiri froze, despite being pretty sure your average demon would not be so polite as to knock before he devoured you, but relaxed when he heard the voice of the boy he had seen earlier.

"Hijiri! It's me, Naoki! Can I come talk to you for a second?"

A loud roaring sound was heard. It sounded angry and patronising.

_The big powerful demon is askin_g_ my permission to enter the room. Obviously, somebody hasn't fully awoken to their new powers._

"Sure! Come in!" Hijiri replied cheerfully, not looking up from his position. The door opened to a cacophony of demonic howls and growls outside, the sounds of combat were pretty close as well – whooshes of fire, bolts of lightning, yells and shouts. Then the door slammed shut and the room was silent except for panting.

. "So," Hijiri asked, stooped by the pillar. "What've you learned? Did you find any demons?"

"Err…" Naoki hesitated.

Confused, Hijiri turned around, studied Naoki carefully.

The boy looked even worse than possible, covered in scrapes and blood – black blood, this time. Even more stunningly, he was covered in demons! There was what looked to be a Shikigami around his head like a bandanna, a Kodama on one shoulder, a Hua Po on the other shoulder, a Shiisa sitting at his feet and a Preta in his arms. The Preta also seemed to be eating something, maybe even another demon.

Hijiri blinked. "I guess that's a yes. "

An eerie silence fell upon the room.

Kodama blinked. "Hey. .. isn't that a human? I thought there were none left!"

Shikigami spoke from the top of Naoki's head. "Guess we were wrong."

"Yeah," Naoki nodded. "His name's Hijiri. Un . . . is. . .is everyone okay?"

Shikigami sneezed, wiped his face with his tail, glanced around at everyone. "Looks like we're all still alive – oh, wait – the Preta."

The Preta was still completely encased in the block of ice, two fairy legs sticking out of his mouth comically. Shiisa smirked. "Ha – looks like he ate Hua Po whilst he was at it too!"

"No he didn't!" the fairy demon called back from where she was talking to Kodama about something. "I'm right over here!"

"Did he eat another Hua Po?" Shiisa asked. "There sure were a lot of them around."

The fairy snorted. "Who cares? It's just a Preta! You should have left it back outside."

Naoki shook his head, bent down and picked it up the Preta-cicle. He began to chip at the ice with his fingers. "I want to get him out."

"Careful!" Hua Po warned. "Stupid things are so fragile, you might break the Preta along with the ice! How about I Agi him out?"

Naoki blinked. "You mean melt the ice? You'd do that?"

"Sure, why not?" The Hua Po shrugged. "Just don't point him in my direction when he's free."

Hijiri stared, only making out snippets of the conversation, despite his years of studying the occult and the occult language. He could understand Kodama okay, and Shikigami to a lesser extent – but the Shiisa spoke in an incomprehensible language of roars and growls, while the Hua Po simply chirped like a bird.

It seemed, however, that these demons were friendly – at least with Naoki around they were. Hijiri took out his notebook, ready to write down notes on demonic language and demonic spells. Despite the seriousness of the situation, old habits died hard. Being able to get a visual demonstration of such a spell more than made up for the minor sleight of seemingly being ignored for the moment.

At Hua Po's instruction, Naoki put the Preta-cicle on the ground, safely away from the other demons, then stepped back out of the way, still trying to get some feeling back into his half frozen fingers. Hua Po smirked, waved her hands through the air, then hurled a ball of fire directly at the Preta/ Both demon and ice block were instantly consumed in flames. When it was over, all of the ice was gone – but the usually purple Preta had turned black, charred to an absolute crisp.

Hua Po blinked. ". . Damn. I used too much."

Naoki strared. "You – you – "

"Is it dead?" Shiisa asked.

The Preta stirred, opened its eyelids to reveal glowing white orbs instead of actual eyes. Slowly, he turned his head to Hijiri.

"Want eat," said the Preta, between the legs still in its mouth.

"It's okay!" Kodama cheered..

"What a relief," Naoki sighed, looking around at the others – then finally remembering that Hijiri was still in the room. "Oh, sorry! Um.. . this is Hijiri." He pointed to the human. "He's a friend."

"Are we going to eat him?" Kodama asked hopefully.

"No," Naoki replied.

"Awwww." The demon was very disappointed.

"Who is this Hijiri?" Shikigami asked, suddenly very interested.

"He's a . . . " _evil demented moron who's obsessed with demonology and cults and is going to hell if we haven't already arrived in it – _"he's a friend – a human friend, a reporter. He's. . .uh, very interested in you guys."

"Oh, okay." Kodama waved at the human. "Hi Mr Hijiri!" Hijiri waved back – nervously.

"Looks like he's scared of us," Shikigami smirked. "Look at him – he's shaking in his boots."

Hijiri was scared – for about two seconds. Then he was rushing over to them, his fears completely forgotten, taken over by an almost childlike curiosity and excitement. "OOOOOOOOHH! Is that a Shikigami? I knew one of those, once – but I accidentally smoked it in my pipe, that was unfortunate. OH, a Hua Po! Hanged any humans recently?"

He was like a human pinball, zigzagging from one demon to the other, asking questions in a frenzy. Naoki could only stare in surprise.

"Why hello little Kodama, aren't you cute! Oh, and Shiisa! I've only seen statues of those! What's that fur feel like? Is it soft? Is it warm? And hey, isn't this a Preta?"

"Oh! Uh, yes, it is," Naoki replied, keeping a hold on the demon to prevent it from trying to eat everything in sight, alive or dead. "There's hundreds of them outside, absolutely everywhere."

"Not surprising – with the recent apocalypse and all, a lot of humans would have been turned into Pretas. "

"What?" Naoki blinked, stunned. "They're former humans?"

"You didn't know that?" Hua Po blinked at him.

"Yep - from Buddhism, if I recall correctly. You know about reincarnation?"

Naoki shook his head. _I don't know and I don't want to know, so please pretty please don't tell me. Reincarnation is not a part of The True Religion and therefore blasphemous and wrong._

Hijiri didn't hear his silent plea as he bent over to take a closer look at the Preta. "Well basically, every time you die you are reincarnated depending on your Karma, or purity. What everybody wants to do is reach Nirvana – it's a bit like heaven, really. Those people who were exceptionally greedy in their previous life are reborn as Preta, to be punished for their sins. Pretas are eternally hungry, you see, but no matter how much they eat, they'll never fill their stomachs, nor can they actually taste what they eat. It's. . .pretty sad, really."

Naoki glanced down at the Preta. "That's terrible. So that's why he keeps eating?"

"Duuuuuh!" Kodama told him.

Hijiri either ignored the Kodama or simply couldn't understand him. "Yep, being a Preta sucks. Hey, what's that thing he's got in his mouth right now? Looks like some sort of fairy or – OH SHIT IT'S MOVING!"

"Wha – What?" Naoki nearly dropped the Preta in his surprise and stared at its mouth. Hijiri was right – the legs, previously still and lifeless, were now kicking and flailing from where they were still stuck in the Preta's mouth.

"Wha – what do I do?" Naoki asked stupidly.

"I'm not touching it!" Shiisa howled. "You don't know where it's been!"

"Don't be such a baby!" Shikigami snarled. "Here – I'll grab the Preta, you open his mouth!" Naoki obeyed, dropping the Preta on the floor. Shikigami wrapped himself around its middle before it could start eating the pillar.

Naoki grabbed the legs, one leg in each hand. They were tiny, covered in blue stockings that looked eerily familiar. "Down, boy,. Drop the fairy. "

"Want Eat!" said the Preta, and at that same exact moment Naoki pulled. Out came a suspiciously familiar brown haired demon in a purple swimsuit, red eyes glaring up at him. Naoki's heart sank, having instantly recognised her, having realized the fact that he was now holding her by the legs, forcing them apart, realized what was undoubtedly going to happen next.

_Oh no.. . .She's going to –_

"You. . .YOU PERVERT!"

_I knew it._

He was expecting the electricity this time, but it still hurt, sending him to his knees in pain with sparks leaping across his eyes. "You're that. . .that Pixie. . ." he gasped in between grunts of agony.

"Yes I am," she replied, readying her electricity for a second bolt. "And you're that Pervert I met earlier!"

"I .. . told you. . . it was just a misunderstanding!" Naoki protested, catching his breath now. "Please stop calling me that! And put away that lightning!"

"Pervert!" the Pixie yelled, flying around his face, acting pretty much like an immature brat. "Pervert, pervert, pervert!"

"Pervert?" Hijiri asked, confused, obviously able to understand this new demon okay.

Naoki looked at him with misery on his face. "It's a long story. .. "

Hijiri smirked. "I'll bet."

"So," Hijiri said as Naoki finished. "Humanity's screwed?"

Naoki nodded. "Pretty much."

"Huh." Hijiri's expression was completely unreadable. "So it really has occurred. The end of the earth and destruction of pretty much all of humanity. Well, at least we've still got women, so humanity's not a total loss."

"Uhh . . .sure. What do we do now?" Naoki asked.

"Well, we obviously can't do anything whilst we're stuck in this rotten hospital – we have to get out of here, so our first point of call is getting Forneus out of the way. He's. . . not going to leave because you asked him nicely, is he?"

"Nup," Shiisa growled. "We already tried that – it didn't go down too well. Forneus is there for a reason – he's been told by someone to guard the hospital entrance and not let anybody enter or exit." The dog/lion paused for a moment then growled again. :Oh – and by the way, I'm NOT A DOG! "If he pats me one more time I'll electrocute his twigs and berries!"

Hijiri, not being able to speak demon, glanced at Naoki, who gave him a quick translation, but leaving out the threat.

Hijiri blinked, stopped patting the Shiisa instantly. "Eh, sorry about that. But basically, you're going to have to fight him. I'm sure you'll be okay – look at the allies you've picked up!"

"Hold up, Hat for brains!" Pixie snarled. "Since when am I going to be this Pervert's ally? I joined up with him to get the pass-thingy. I am not teaming up with this pack of idiots who don't even care about their CLAN!"

The Shiisa growled enthusiastically. "We are NOT a Pack of Idiots, we are the Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team, seekers of Love, Peace and Magatsuhi!" He raised a paw. "SSSOOOOUND OFF! Shiisa of the –"

The Shikigami snarled, silencing the dog/lion. "He can't understand you, idiot!"

Hijiri ignored the interruption. "Listen, Forneus is a sea monster, right? And you said before that he blew ice at you?" Hijiri asked.

Naoki nodded.

"That might mean he's weak to electricity. As Pixie has demonstrated to us, she is capable of casting Zio, a minor electrical spell, so you'll have a good chance of winning if you take her along."

Shikigami made a noise. "We are NOT taking such a worthless piece of scrappy baggage along with us!"

"Say what, paper boy?" Pixie snarled, throwing her lightning at him. "You think that your lightning's better than – "

That was as far as she got, before the lightning she had thrown at him was suddenly reflected straight back at her, nailing her in the middle. She gave a cough and fell to the ground, unmoving.

Shikigami smirked at her. "Also, unlike YOU, I happen to be immune to electricity. But I guess you've already found that out, huh?"

Naoki stared, tapping the fallen girl on the shoulder. "Um, are you okay?"

No reply.

"I think she's para – para – shocked," Kodama told him. "It'll wear off in a little bit."

"Serves her right!" Hua Po chortled.

"Want eat!" said the Preta, eyeing Hijiri's hat.

Don't touch," Hijiri ordered the Preta, holding his hat up to keep it safely out of harms way.. "But as I was saying, you all need to get out of this hospital, and you all have a common foe in Forneus."

"I know," Naoki replied. "I. . .guess I have to go fight him now. There's no other way, is there?"

"Nope, so off you go!" Hijiri replied. "I'll stay down here."

Naoki blinked. "But – But you'll be alone! We need to stick together!"

"Don't worry about me," Hijiri replied. "I'll only slow you down. Relax, I'm not planning on dying anytime soon – I need to study this pillar. I'm sure that there's something BIG to it."

Shiisa moved forward suddenly, gave the human a poke, then growled. "You're in luck, human! I happen to be an expert on the Amala Terminal! Naoki, as leader of the Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team, I hereby order you to take charge of the team and defeat Forneus! I'll just stay here and help with the terminal."

Naoki stared. "You want me to – .but I. . . "

Shiki snorted. "You just don't want to get your beloved fur dirty, do you?"

"No I don't!" Shiisa stamped a paw on the ground. "I am NOT scared of the . . .really large. . . very bad tempered. . .stingray! I merely wish to stay here where I will be more of use."

Naoki was shocked. "Are you – are you sure about this? But aren't these your friends?"

"Don't worry about it, Mr Naoki," Kodama told him. "I'm strong!"

"You're nothing but a hypocrite, Shiisa" Hua Po yelled at the lion/dog. "Fine! We'll just take all the Magatsuhi without you!"

"What are they saying, kid?" Hijiri asked. _Damn, I wish I knew how to talk to demons like he can._

"Shiisa is going to stay with you," Naoki replied.

"Wha – WHAT?" Hijiri didn't like the fault of being alone with a lion/dog that could fire electricity from his fur.

"He says that he knows how the Pillar works and that he'll help you work it. Shiki, uh, said that Shiisa was just being cowardly."

"He knows how to work this thing?" Hijiri grinned broadly. "Oh, awesome! Nice to meet you, Shiisa, even if I can't understand what you're saying."

The Shiisa gave a bark/roar that sounded cheerful.

Well, good luck, Naoki!" Hijiri said as he began to push Naoki and the others out the door. "Everybody out! I can't wait to keep studying this thing… I'll let you know how it goes. Bye now! Say Hi to Forneus for me!" The door slammed and locked behind them.

Shiisa smirked at the human. _This'll be good. . . _


	10. Rage

Chapter 9: Rage

Naoki glanced around at his entourage where they were sprawled on the floor outside the room. "He. . .he actually pushed us out."

Shikigami sighed. "Yes, he did. Damn that Lion Dog!"

Naoki blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't actually believe the rot Shiisa said back there, about being an expert on the Amala Terminal?"

"He isn't? Well then, why did he stay back?"

"My guess?" Shikigami snorted. "Well, at first I thought he was just being his usual cowardly self. But then I began to wonder. . ."

Pixie stood up, the paralysis having worn off. "You sensed it too huh, paper boy?"

"Sensed what?" Naoki asked.

"It's something a bruiser like you wouldn't understand," Hua Po answered him. "Humans have a very distinct aura that magic affiliated demons can pick up. No matter what they try, whether they dress in mayonnaise or whatever, we can tell."

_Gulp. Does that mean that they can tell that I'm a. .. _

"That human back there?" Pixie pointed to the terminal door. "I would have eaten him if I knew that he was there, you know."

"What. . .what do you mean?" Naoki blinked, figuring out what the fairy demon was implying. "Do you mean to say that Hijiri's doesn't have. . ."

"Oh, he has an aura alright," Hua Po replied. "But it's NOT human. Don't think it's demon, either."

"WHAT?" Naoki was stunned. "But if he isn't a. . . well then, what is he?"

"That's probably what Shiisa is trying to find out," Hua Po replied.

"I still favour the 'Shiisa's a coward' idea, myself," Shikigami added.

"I didn't sense anything," Kodama whinged. "I wanna go kill someone now!"

"Oh. . . okay…" Naoki stared. The Kodama had such a childish voice. If you weren't looking in his direction, it was easy to forget that you were talking to a floating lollipop instead of a kindergartener. "I DID say I was going to kill Forneus, didn't I."

"Yup, you did!" Kodama cheered. "Let's go! We want to play!"

The Hua Po agreed. "Let's play Murder the Manta, mister!"

Shikigami shrugged. "I'm sticking with whatever the Jirae duo decide."

"Okay. . ." Naoki nodded. "Thanks. Uh, what about you, Pixie/"

The Pixie snarled. "What IS it with you always asking and thanking people, Pervert?" _I haven't met a demon this insane since. . ._

_Since that time in Rem. _Realization dawned on the demon girl's face. _This guy is a ? _

She had to make sure. Besides. . . "Well, I DO need to get to Yoyogi Park and that stupid fish finger IS blocking the way. .. BAH! Fine, whatever. I'll beat up your stupid fish, but in return you're escorting me to Yoyogi Park. Got it?"

Naoki sighed. "Okay. It's a promise."

"And you'd better keep your hands off me, pervert or I'll make you regret it!"

"Okay, okay," Naoki protested.

"Right, we're all set," Hua Po cheered. "Let's go!"

Naoki held up a hand. "Not yet – there's one more person I have to ask." He knelt down to the Preta, who was chewing on another Preta's amputated leg. "Preta, I'm sorry about . . . about what happened to the others, and I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I need your help."

"He's going to eat him, isn't he," Shikigami whispered to Hua Po.

"Probably," the fairy demon answered.

The Preta looked up at Naoki, smirked. "Meee . . .Want Eat. … . You . . . " He leaped into Naoki's hands. "

"Called it," Shiki whispered.

But the Preta didn't eat him, merely smiled and cheered and pointed. ". . . .FRIEND!"

Naoki patted the Preta on the head. " Alright, let's get going. .. Err, Shinjuku Squad, away!"

"AWAY!" Kodama and Hua Po shouted together.

Pixie frowned. 'You have GOT to be kidding me."

* * *

><p>So here they were. A half human half demon, a paper monster, a flying lollipop, two miniature people, a purple people eater, preparing to fight a gigantic manta ray. If not for the dire situation he was in, Naoki might almost have found the sheer bizarreness of it all amusing.<p>

_I'm actually doing this. I'm actually preparing to kill something. _He didn't know whether the feeling in his stomach was from horror or anticipation.

"What you waiting for, Pervert?" The Pixie asked him as he hesitated outside the door, the Shikigami sitting contentedly on his head. "An open invitation?"

"No, it's. . .it's just – " _It's just that the Lord God is probably staring at me right this moment and is probably readying a Divine Smite as we speak – _"It's just that –"

But he never got a chance to tell her what his problem was, the fact that he was hanging for dear life onto his human self and thus hesitant to commit cold blooded murder, even if said murder was done on a cold blooded animal, because a sudden shout interrupted his train of thought completely. It was Forneus, yelling at someone.

"What do you MEAN you lost the punk in the pants!"

"URrrrrgh.. . he . . . strong. . . . " It was a low growling voice, similar to the tone Pixie had used against the Pretas back in the main hospital building. _Is he talking to a Preta?_

"I don't care! I ordered you to locate him and terminate him!"

"He. . . strong. . stronger than you. . . "

The next sound was an enormous crash and a pained screech. That was enough to spur Naoki into action and he burst into a room that looked like a bomb had hit it. The waiting room chairs were obliterated, the walls scratched, the lights non functional. More than that, Forneus had turned the place into a world of ice – it was on the walls, on the floor. It was even on the walkway where Naoki had broken the glass earlier.

"Ataaack!" Pixie yelled, throwing electricity before Forneus could even turn to glare at them. Hua Po and Kodama followed her lead, attacking with their powers of fire and force.

How did Naoki know the floor was covered in ice? By slipping on it, the forces of nature sending his feet flying out from under him, sending him sliding across the floor on his back until he finally came to a stop.

Directly under the Manta Ray.

_Crap._

But then there came an enormous bolt of lightning from his forehead and Naoki realized that this inglorious entrance was a good thing, as he was still wearing Shikigami as a headband.

"AAAAARGH!" Forneus roared, falling to the ground, pinning Naoki underneath him. Pixie saw her chance, took it, throwing a bolt of lightning at the Ray as it struggled on its front ,its wings flailing. An instant before it hit, however, Forneus managed to barrel roll out of the way, still smoking and grunting in pain. Naoki also rolled out of the way, forgetting about the demonic headband that would have rendered the bolt useless against him.

But when he climbed to his feet he went approximately two steps before falling flat on his face again – he was rendered completely useless by the ice, something that the others weren't troubled by – except for the Preta, which was ice skating around, trying to eat the broken chairs. Naoki simply couldn't move – there was no friction, no way for his feet to hold him steady and balanced. For all of Shiisa's cheering that they couldn't beat Forneus without him, for all of his demonic strength and speed and communication skills, it was all rendered useless by a few centimetres of frozen water.

Fortunately, as Naoki watched, it didn't seem they NEEDED his help, anyway. Pixie and Hua Po worked seamlessly together, flying through the air in twin blurs of red and blue, hurling lightning and fire. Meanwhile, Kodama sent bursts of pure force at the ray with every swipe of his little body. The Ray screamed in agony as its body was burned and shocked and battered.

But then things started to go wrong. The Ray turned, roared incoherently, barrel rolled, blew out a blast of ice that was far colder and larger than what it had ever produced before.

"Woah!" Hua Po yelled, the three flying demons dodging madly, but not enough. All three of them were thrown out of the sky and crashed to the ice, dazed and bleeding. Hua Po flew down and helped the younger Jirae back up, but before they could attend to the Pixie Forneus buffeted them with his wings and sent them sprawling.

"SHIT!" Naoki yelled, leaping to his feet. Almost instantly he was thrown right off them again, this time by the ice skating Preta that crashed into his feet, sending them both falling to the ground.

_What the hell was I thinking, trying to defeat a demon? I'm just a kid! I'm no warrior!_

He climbed to his feet, tried to steady himself. _What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing? WHAT AM I DOING? _"DAMN IT! I can't balance on this fucking ice at all!" He yelled out his frustrations.

"Naoki, stop it!" the Shikigami around his head shouted, trying to shoot at the flying fish, missing badly as Naoki skidded around. "We're in the middle of a battle!"

"I DON'T CARE! FUCK THIS ICE!" He slammed his fist down, hard enough to pierce the ice and the floor below it.

"Want eat!" the Preta gurgled by his feet, having only just barely dodged Naoki's fist. "Want eat ice!" It breathed in, then blew out a fireball at the floor.

Naoki stared as the ice melted before them. _THAT'S IT!_

Meanwhile, Pixie was flying through the annexe lobby, closely followed by a very irate fish who wasn't even giving her the time to heal herself, let alone attack.

"This isn't working!" she snarled. "Where IS that Pervert? I ordered him to keep me safe!"

She was running low on manna, the fuel for her spells nearly exhausted. Behind her, Kodama was suffering a similar fault, except that HIS magic was used up because he was stupid enough to heal the Hua Po he was hanging around with. The Hua Po herself was stuck in another block of ice, shivering and curled up in pain and thus completely useless.

_Useless! The whole lot of them, useless!_

Just when she didn't need any more reason to hate the others, they gave her one more reason: by glancing in the direction of the Hua Po as she whimpered in pain, Pixie took her eyes off Forneus. Thus, her guard was wide open to be hit in the chest by the manta ray's enormous tail.

"GAAH!"

The Manta Ray's tail was long and muscular, powerful enough to break the bones of an Oni. Against Pixie's tiny frame and fragile bones, the result was catastrophic. She was thrown, clear across the room, slamming into the wall on the far side with a screech of pain.

She fell to the ground, nearly unconscious, her bones crushed, vomiting up black blood, her vision swimming before her. _Damn it . . .I wasn't strong enough . . . I . . . don't want . . .to die. . .here. . . _

She was in pain, too much pain to focus carefully, but she could dimly see Forneus charging in for the kill. _It hurts… . it hurts . . . _

She closed her eyes, heard only a colossal crash, a collision of flesh and bone. Now there was a scream of rage, another crash. A sound of laughter. Another shout of rage. Now a new shout, one of agonising pain.

She opened her eyes.

Naoki Kashima had entered the battle by using the Preta's fireballs to melt the ice. At first, he'd simply walked around, melting as much ice as he could. But then he saw Forneus hit the Pixie, saw her slam into the wall, saw her fall to the ground, clearly critically wounded. He'd broken into a run, sprinting as fast as the Preta could melt the ice, hurtling towards the Pixie as fast as he could, watching in outrage as the Manta Ray got ready to finish off a clearly defenceless opponent.

He'd run in front of the badly injured little fairy, taken Forneus' hit head on. They collided, the hit serious enough to knock Naoki off his feet and to the ground, rolling through the water, the Shikigami still on his head squawking as they skidded across the ice. A second tail whip dazed Naoki enough that he was forced to let go. The markings on his body turned to red, he coughed blood out of his mouth, while the Magatama in his head twitched and protested, spurring him on to kill and destroy.

Forneus laughed at Naoki's petty attempt to help the Pixie. This proved to be a mistake.

It was although the sound of laughter was the final piece of the puzzle Naoki needed. Something inside of him exploded. Something red, bright red, the colour of fury and hatred and rage. Suddenly, everything was clear. The Magatama in his head gave an order. Naoki accepted the order willingly.

The Manta Ray charged in for the kill, ready to hit the Pixie with its fins, planning on torturing it whilst Naoki watched because it thought it would be funny. . Instead, Forneus found itself stopped in its tracks, Naoki grabbing the Ray by it's tail. He pulled the Ray back, back towards him, then gave it an almighty punch that sent it skidding on the ice. It fell to the ground, struggled back up, turned to face Naoki, but before it could do anything Naoki had grabbed it's jaws, one for the upper, one for the lower.

KILL KILL KILL KILL! KILL!

It was a burning flame of rage that blocked out everything in his mind except for his hatred. He roared like an animal, strength pulsing through his arms, and forced the two jaws apart.

"Go," he said to the Shikigami on his head. The paper demon nodded, uncoiled, then lunged into the Ray's mouth whilst Naoki held it open. For a few seconds nothing happened.

Then Forneus gave a horrifying scream as it's insides were ripped apart by the point blank Zio spell.

The demon roared, screamed, struggled. Naoki didn't care. He was consumed by his rage, consumed by a berserker fury that urged him on in his bloodlust. The fury gave him suggestions and he followed them to the letter. The ray thrashed around madly, trying to close its mouth on the paper demon, but Naoki stopped them from happening with a loud yell as he broke both jaws, ripping the demon apart with his bare hands. He continued to punch it over and over again until it finally went silent.

Then he stopped, dropped the dying ray where it stood and turned away from it without a second glance. He ran over to the fallen Pixie, lying on the ground.

Naoki turned to the Kodama. "You. Heal her."

Kodama blinked. "Uh? But. . . she's not even a Jirae. . ." the lollipop's voice trailed off under Naoki's furious glare.

"I don't care. Heal her."

"Do as he says, Kodama," Shikigami spoke. Slowly, the Kodama nodded, turned to the Pixie and cast the spell, even as Pixie glared and protested.

"Grr. . . Get. . . get your . . . f-filthy hands of me. . . you. . . you Jirae. . . "

"Oh, shut up!" Hua Po smirked at her. "Just lie still and be healed, you weakling!"

Silently, Naoki looked about at his companions. Off all of them, the Pixie had received by far the worst of it – Forneus had seen her ability to cast lightning and had moved to nullify the biggest threat. Aside from that, the injuries were actually pretty minor, nothing that couldn't be fixed with a few Dia spells.

Except for himself, of course. He was covered in injuries, scrapes and cuts and open wounds, blood flowing from the injuries. Black blood, not red. Black. Just like a demon.

A sudden noise was heard – the sound of bones crunching. Naoki turned, spotted the Preta taking bites out of Forneus' corpse. The Ray was clearly dead now. Mere food. There was no point stopping the Preta from eating.

But somebody did – Hua Po, grabbing the Preta by an ear and pulling it back from the corpse. "Hey, slow down! Don't you know anything?"

"Want eat!" the Preta replied, trying to wiggle free from her grasp.

"Yes, I can see that. But hold on for a second." She pointed to Naoki. "To the victor, the spoils!"

. . .

_Wait._

"H-huh?" Naoki blinked. A horrible thought had just flashed into his mind, but it was so stupid that it couldn't be real.

"Am I the only one who knows demonic traditions? Tradition calls that the person who dealt the finishing blow gets first dibs on the spoils of victory. Therefore: all the Magatsuhi is yours!"

"Wha-" His horrible thought was real. They wanted him to –

"Hurry up, Naoki! I can't hold this Preta any longer!"

Naoki waved his hand. "Release him, then. I couldn't have beaten Forneus without his help, without all of you."

Hua Po released the Preta – but not to obey him. It was sheer stunned disbelief. A disbelief so huge that every demon in the room looked up and stared at Naoki in shock.

Hua Po turned to Shikigami with wide eyes. ". . . Shiki. Did you just hear what he said? I think my ears are blocked."

Shikigami shook his head. "I heard him. Talk to me, Naoki Kashima. Who are you?"

"Who. . . who?" Naoki asked. "What do you mean by that?"

Pixie coughed, cleared her throat. "So I'm not the only one. Tell me guys – has anyone of you seen someone like him before?"

There were long pauses. . . shakes of the head.

Pixie smirked. "I have."

Naoki stared. "What! But when we first met, you said –"

"I KNOW what I said, Pervert, and I was telling the truth, that I'd never seen a demon like you before. But I can smell your scent, and it's a scent that I've already smelled, though it hasn't been for eons."

Naoki found himself surrounded by inquisitive demons sniffing at him.

Kodama shrugged. "I don't know. . . he just smells like an ordinary demon to me."

"Of course he does," Pixie smirked. "He smells like a demon because he IS a demon, at least on the outside. But inside. . . "

Naoki took a step back, suddenly terrified.

_Oh shit. Oh shit. She's figured it out. _

"Well?" Kodama asked the Pixie.

"This guy," Pixie said, pointing to Naoki, ". . . is a Devil Child. Half Demon. . . and half human."

_I'm dead. It's all over._

"WHAT!" the other demons screeched. "HE"S HUMAN?"

They were surrounding him now, backing him into a corner – Kodama, Hua Po and Pixie. Shikigami seemed to be merely staring at him in disbelief, while Preta was eating the corpse of the large fish behind them, taking no notice of the deceit.

"That's right," Pixie replied. "I had my suspicions from the first time I saw this guy . .. I mean, what sort of demon cares about their "friends" and won't eat Magatsuhi? The answer: a HUMAN one!"

"You .. . " Kodama stared at Naoki with pleading. . . err, squiggles. "Is it really true, Mr Naoki?"

"I- uh – I. . . " His voice caught in his throat. He couldn't speak, couldn't think of what to say. He wracked his brain for ideas.

_I have to think fast, think of something, or they'll going to kill me right now!_

_No, wait . . .I'm stronger than they are. I can fight my way out of this._

_But they're my friends! I can't hurt my friends!_

_But that Pixie just said demons don't HAVE friends. Look at them – they're about ready to murder me._

_No, no! I can't do this!_

_Why? You just slaughtered tens of these demons! What's a few more?_

_This is different!_

_No it's not. It's exactly the same!_

"It's. . . true?" Hua Po whispered, startling Naoki out of his inner battle enough to see fire appearing in both her hands and her eyes. "You . . .YOU TRICKED US!"

"I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean it . . .I've only just . .. " He had to make a break for it, try to run through them, but there was no way out.

The Pixie chortled at the scene. "Aww, what's the matter? Your brand new minion isn't what you thought he was?""

The words were unspoken amongst all the demons. . .the TRUE demons, but they were all thinking the same thing. This was a Devil Child, a being born from human and demonic parents. There were many of them around, with the special ability to see and understand demons. For the most part, they looked exactly like any other ordinary human.

When their powers fully awoke however, they became much more dangerous than a mere human or demon alone. Some of them became strong enough to slaughter multitudes of demons single-handedly. Others, like the Devil Child she had met so many years ago, could do something even more insidious: bind hordes of demons to their will, forcing them to obey their every command, slaves to their whim.

In the demonic world, Devil Children were feared and hated even more so than summoners, those who could summon a demon into their plane of existence. At least then there was the possibility that one could break free of the bindings that chained them. Not so for a Devil Child. They would be trapped. FOREVER.

Pixie glared at the false demon. Just how long had it been since she last saw a Devil Child? Ah yes. Pixie remembered now. It was in a land called Rem, many millennia ago, when she had battled against a boy with blue hair on Lucifer's personal orders, to force him to go to the land of demons instead of Valhalla. She'd lost against the boy's stupid personal familiar, but she'd completed her mission.

Now, once again, a Devil Child was before her – definitely looking more devilish than your average Child, with his blue and black markings and the distinctive thrumming of his Magatama., but still obviously a Human, that creature that demons either feared, hated or preyed upon. Sure, Jack liked looking at humans from a distance, but to actually. . . INTERACT with one?

THE HORROR!

So. the question was now:

"Alright guys, got any ideas about what to do with this guy?" Pixie asked them.

"Let him go," Shikigami replied. OF COURSE Shiki would say that, he was a Shikigami after all. They spent more time with humans than almost any other infernal being, so their view on life was naturally skewed and thus could be completely ignored.

Luckily, Kodama and Hua Po had lots of useful ideas.

"Electrocute him!"

"Eat him!"

"Throw him to a heap of Lilims and Liliths and Succubi!"

"Electrocute him, throw him to a bunch of LIliths and Lilims and Succubi and THEN eat him!"

"I propose hanging him on a tree!"

"Want eat!" That one was from the Preta, of course.

"Ooh, I like the hanging idea, ," Pixie told Hua Po, who had suggested it. "Just one problem: There aren't any more trees."

"Awww," the Hua Po moaned. "Alright then, how about we torch him? Burn him at the stake, like the good old days?"

Naoki paled. "Uh, I like Shiki's idea, myself."

"Who cares what you think, HUMAN?" Kodama glared.

Naoki paled more. "Alright, just. .. Listen, I'm really sorry, and I didn't mean to trick you, but . . . I've only just become a demon and I –"

" DON'T GIVE US THAT CRAP!" Pixie roared at him – well, as loud as a tiny flying girl could roar. It was still enough to send Naoki flat on his butt, cowering. "You think I was born yesterday? Well, I wasn't! You've been a demon all you're life and you deliberately misled us! So stop whining and prepare to die!"

**Stop.**

At first Naoki thought the voice was merely in his head, a subconscious protest at the thought of being burned at the stake like a heretic. But then as he looked around he saw the others staring at each other in stunned disbelief, looking around wildly.

"Did. . .did you just –" Kodama asked the older Jirae.

Hua Po snarled angrily. "Yes, I heard it. HEY! Who goes there!"

Naoki saw his chance, continued to protest. "Listen to me, I'm telling the truth! I- I'm sorry that I lied to you, but it's. . . it's been a bad day. My whole world just ended and I honestly just got transformed into a . . .well, a demon, and -"

"You honestly expect us to believe that?" Pixie growled at him.

**He's telling the truth.**

"Oh for – Stop doing that, it's giving me a headache!" she yelled into the air. "Right, that does it – where are you, you mother fucker?"

**Right here.**

The voice was behind them. They whirled around, all six of them, even the Preta. Pixie continued to shout as he turned. "Who the hell do you think you are protesting about, you –"

Then her voice stopped, froze in mid sentence. "Ah . . . " _Unholy Satan, it's - _

Naoki stared, frowned, growled, fury surging through him. "You . . ."

Two figures were standing there, having appeared out of freaking nowhere. One was a small blond boy with piercing eyes, the other was an old woman dressed in black. Naoki recognised them instantly as the Old Hag and the Young Bastard.

"My . .. . my. . . ." Pixie gasped, suddenly unable to speak. "Master!"

The boy looked at her.

As one, Pixie and Hua Po dropped out of the sky and went down on one knee before the boy, their heads bowed in subservience. Even the Preta and Kodama were on their knees in the same position. The only ones that weren't were Shikigami and Naoki himself, the first because he really didn't have the appropriate limbs, the second because. . .

. . . because the moment he had seen the Young Bastard Naoki had bared his teeth, snarled, then broken into a full out sprint straight for him. Before anybody could do anything, Naoki swung his right fist through the air and connected with the child's lower jaw with the hardest punch he had ever thrown in his life.

The punch was so hard it knocked the blond boy clean off his feet, sent him flying into the air, sent him spinning, doing cartwheels and summersaults through the air before he was finally stopped by the Annexe wall. He slumped to the ground, motionless and unconscious.

The demons STARED, the same thought going through all their minds. They simply couldn't believe what had just happened. They knew, even if Naoki did not, just what he had just done, the sheer AUDACITY of what he had just done. It was just completely unbelievable.

_He – He just - he just punched – What – OH MY SATAN DID WE JUST SEE THAT!_

Naoki rubbed his fist, trying to get the feeling back into it. Damn kid, he felt like punching concrete!

The boy twitched, stirred, then opened his eyes to see a variety of eyes looking down at him. The demons which had been kneeling in subservience only seconds before were now up on their feet, anxious to ensure their master was okay. He waved them off, reached up to touch his own face, felt blood. He was bleeding from a split lip, and slightly from his mouth. He struggled to his feet, glanced over to Naoki who stood where he'd punched him, still glaring, still angry.

He smiled, broadly.

The five demons held their breath, scarcely believing what they were seeing. Only the old woman seemed completely unperturbed.

"We are pleased to meet you again," she told Naoki. "It's reassuring to see that you didn't do anything to embarrass my –"

"Forget that!" Naoki yelled, still angry. "This is all your fucking fault!"

"Oh?" The woman asked.

"What do you mean, OH?" Naoki roared. "Change me back this instant!"

What does he mean, change back? Pixie wondered. From the looks on the other demons, they were clearly thinking the same thing.

The old hag shook her head. "We cannot do that."

"YES YOU CAN!" Naoki roared, his fury running red and hot, just like the markings on his body. "Ms. Takao's already told me everything. You're the ones who did this to me, you're the ones who turned me into a freak, YOU'RE the ones who FUCKED UP the entire world, YOU'RE the cause of everything that has happened this day and I'm FUCKING sick of it!" He waved his arms around like a windmill, looking for all the world like a scared child having a temper tantrum.

The blond bastard looked up at his old hag caretaker, still grinning. The old hag looked down at him with a look that clearly indicated exasperation.

"If Yuko has told you everything, than she has surely told you the reason we gave you the Marogoreh Magatama, Naoki Kashima."

_THEY gave him the – they turned him into – HE'S THE FRIGGING_ – Pixie couldn't help it – she fell out of the sky in stunned disbelief, was left lying on her back staring up at the ceiling. _NO FREAKING WAY. _

Kodama, Shikigami and Hua Po were sharing the same idea. _This guy. . . he's not just a Devil Child – he's the . . ._

"Yes she did! I know who you are, who your master is! Tell him that I'm not going to do his dirty work!"

The lady in black nodded. "We will do that. But first, let us tell you how proud we are that you have survived the Hospital. I am very pleased that you didn't embarrass my young master by dying from something so trivial as Forneus."

"T-t-trivial!" Naoki shrieked. "That RAY nearly killed my friends! He – " Naoki's voice trailed off, realizing he had forgotten completely about Chiaki and Isamu.

In answer, the boy pointed outside. Naoki stared at the boy, then went sprinting outside without a

second glance.

Pixie and the other demons remained behind – even the Preta. They crowded around the boy. "Master, are you okay?"

He nodded.

"Is he. . . is he really. . ." She couldn't finish the question, it was too unbelievable to be true. 

_After ALL this time, could he really be the one?_

The lady in black nodded, then spoke. "He is even better than we imagined."


	11. Choice

Chapter 10: Choice

"RRUUAAAARGH!"

Naoki screamed into the sky, falling to his knees with tears streaming down his face. "No . . . no. . ."

_NO! It's NOT TRUE! _

_Nothing but a dream. It was nothing but a dream!_

During the fight with Forneus, the only thing that had kept Naoki going was the desire to escape the Hospital, to escape this hell. Even when he'd looked out the window and seen the truth, he had managed to convince himself that the cataclysm was confined only to the hospital and that once he escaped the hospital he'd be safe. Once he got out, he'd be able to leave the nightmare behind. He'd find other people, people to guide him – people like police, the army, adults.. He'd be fine, as long as he could find the others. Ms. Takao. . .she said she'd be his strength and guidance, right? So he'd survived. He'd fought through a hospital full of demons, done unspeakable things, allied himself with infernal beings, committed murder, all for the pursuit of a dream.

And now that he'd achieved that goal, escaped the hospital, all that was before him made his earlier nightmares pale in significance as his carefully crafted dream crumbled into dust.

There was no denying it now. There was no denying the Conception had occurred. There was no denying that almost every human in this world was dead. There was no denying the world had ended.

He looked around him, wildly. Before the Conception, this was a City, the city of Tokyo, a large city with equally large skyscrapers, with tree lined streets, cars and people walking everywhere. A normal city with the normal sights and the normal noises. Not a mere town, but a City, of thousands and thousands of people, the Capital City of Japan. The Hospital itself had been on a busy street, with an extensive lush green garden in front of it.

But now. . .

Now, in place of the city of Tokyo, there was only a desolate wasteland. Red sands, as far as the eye could see in all directions. The trees and grass were shrivelled and dead. Aside from a few scattered ruins there was nothing, not even the faintest of hints, that humanity had once existed here.

There was nothing.

NOTHING LEFT!

He collapsed to the ground.

* * *

><p><em>His grandmother made good on her promise. When the police rang her up, called her and told her that Yuri Kashima was dead, she told them that he had no daughter and that they could go toss her grandson in the lake and drown him <em>

_Naoki never learned who his father was. He was born out of wedlock, nobody came forward to pay 18 years of child support, his only relative was his grandmother and she refused to have anything to do with him. Due to the circumstances, it was highly likely his mother didn't know his father either.._

_He was known as the son of a sinner – a prostitute, a street whore who had made a mistake one time and caused his conception. Too poor to hold a real job and addicted to methamphetamine, she had resorted to selling her body to the night in order to make a profit. _

_With no relatives to look after him, Naoki was sent temporarily to an orphanage. It quickly became apparent, however, that he was a boy with severe social issues. He had always been a quiet boy who preferred his own company to the company of other people, but after the trauma of his mother's death this character trait had gone to its extreme. Between the ages of five and ten Naoki did not speak a single word. Not even at night, in his frequent nightmares._

_He didn't like sleeping. He couldn't bond with anybody – WOULDN'T bond with anybody. They shopped him around to different foster families, trying to find one that would stick, but it always failed. He was diagnosed with abandoned child disorder, resulting in severe feelings of guilt and a clinginess that bordered on irrational. He grew up sickly and malnourished, always eating very little. He hated crowds._

_Alone. He was always alone. No siblings and no pets. He HATED people. Any person. When he was younger and didn't understand, this hatred would turn into violence. As he aged, he learned to suppress this aspect of himself. People didn't like it, and he wanted to be liked, even though he hated people. It was an odd feeling._

_For several years, Naoki was known as "that dumb kid", due more to his complete refusal to speak rather than a lack of intelligence. When he wasn't called That Dumb Kid, he would be stuck with the stigma of being the bastard son of a complete failure of a mother. Her ruined life and eventual suicide hung around him like the skipping rope she'd used, tight and suffocating._

_Eventually, however, he got better, healed enough to attend school, healed enough to gain friends, healed enough to pass primary school, healed enough to stay in a single foster home for more than a couple of weeks or months._

_He had found healing through god, through reading the bible, through attending church and Sunday school. It was a strange feeling – he knew that God had punished him for not reading his bible that night, but God was nice enough to give him a second chance. Through religion, he had gained an acceptance of himself and of life. It had allowed him to move on, push through his trials. It was all merely a test. A test from God, and a true believer in Him would be able to find the courage and the strength to keep going._

_But he had never fully healed from his childhood, only concealed it from view as best as he could. The medicinal drugs helped. Every so often, it would flare up, but he would self heal. Mostly through religion, sometimes through merely ignoring the problem until it went away. _

_Until he became a teenager and the storm of hormones flowing through his body nearly drove him mad. Human desires clashed with rational thought and suddenly religion wasn't enough._

_Suddenly, it became harder to hide his troubles, no matter how much he distanced himself from other people. His current foster family was devoutly Christian to the point of extremism, hell bent on raising him to at least be a semi functional member of the community, preferably in some position in the church. They, like many, were very much against any sort of mental illness – they believed it was the work of the Devil. Naoki learned to hide his mental troubles as best as he could, but it simply wasn't enough._

_His health and his academic grades began to deteriorate. Sure, Naoki had always been near the bottom of the class, an average student at best - but now he was beginning to show contempt for the class to the point of outright defiance. It was the influence of his new friend Isamu Nitta, a juvenile delinquent. Naoki was losing interest in classes, in god, in the future. He began to wag school. The foster family despaired. _

_Until one day when the tides of Naoki's life changed once again.._

* * *

><p>". . . There, that should do it."<p>

A soft voice. Feelings of warmth, something he had not felt for what seemed like centuries. It felt double, triply good compared to the pain he'd been experiencing. It was as though his physical and mental pain had simply washed away. He could hear voices, but he was too tired to recognise who or what was speaking.

"Are you sure you did it right? He's not moving."

"OF COURSE I did it right. Look, he's even got an external barometer of his power level – remember how those markings of his turned red? Well, not anymore!"

_I don't want to wake up. I want to go back to sleep. I'm tired._

". . .oh come on! This blasted human-demon thing!" He felt pain, distant pain now, as though something was tapping him on the head.

The voice came again, in between taps. "Why . . .won't . . this . . stupid. . .Pervert. . .wake. . . UP!"

_Stop hitting me. Leave me alone._

"Hey, demon boy! Wake up now, or you'll regret it!"

He ignored the voices, tried to fall asleep again.

". . . Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you, Pervert. . ."

Pixie grinned evilly. After a long discussion with the young boy and the old woman, the five demons (six, including the Will O Wisp that Forneus had frozen just before the battle started) had gone off in search of their VID, or Very Important Demon. Fortunately, he hadn't wandered off too far – Pixie and Hua Po found him just outside the hospital walls, face planted into the red sand, wailing for mommy.

Meanwhile, the Will O Wisp, Preta and Shikigami had found something unexpected just outside the entrance of the main hospital. Deeply confused, they had dragged it all the way over here. This proved difficult – for one thing, the object they had found was heavy, and it was being pulled by a disembodied skull, a snake being made of paper and a small troll thing with skinny brittle limbs. For another, Shiki had been forced to fight a constant battle to prevent the Preta from eating it.

Now they were here, having handed their discovery to The Servant after healing it to full health.

Tense discussions had followed, but in the end, Pixie had given in and healed Naoki back to full health. However, nothing seemed to be happening.

Drastic action was obviously required. Fortunately, Pixie had spent several millennia alongside a certain blue and white demon who absolutely loved spying on humans, and so she had in-depth knowledge of humans that the other demons didn't have. Specifically, their weaknesses in regards to anatomy. And demon though this body might be, it was still human enough to share the same vulnerabilities.

"GREAAAH!"

Success. Naoki's eyes were open and he was awake, squealing, his sweet dreams of a pain free existence completely shattered as both hands shot to his badly singed groin and he rolled around on the sand. Behind him, Pixie gave Hua Po a high five.

"I told you! A well positioned lightning strike can do amazing things!" She turned to Naoki, who was still rolling. "Rise and shine, Pervert! The Master wants to chat to you."

Naoki stopped rolling, struggled to his knees, looked around, blinked several times In an attempt to make the nightmare go away. It didn't work. He was still in the same nightmare he had been in when he fell asleep.

_What were who when Why? _

"This is your first time seeing the new Tokyo, is it not?"

He whirled around, realized it was the old hag speaking to him again. Naoki snarled, remembering his anger. "Yes it is. Now leave me alone – I told you, I don't care what your 'little master' wants! GO TO HELL!"

The young Bastard, grinned, smiled, began to shake . . . then suddenly burst out laughing.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Naoki couldn't help but stare as all of the other demons laughed as well. Even the Old Hag struggled to keep a straight face.

Naoki snarled, unable to find the humour in the situation. "What are you laughing at?"

"F-forgive me," the Old Hag spoke, still smiling as her charge shook with chuckles. "My young Master merely finds you very amusing. Please keep it up."

"I'm not here to keep your Little Bastard amused!" Naoki shouted. "Leave me alone!"

The old hag finished laughing and shook her head. "Not just yet. My master and I are merely here to return something you lost, and to give you advice."

"Return something I lost? What the hell are you–" Naoki looked up, stared at the old woman, finally realizing that she was holding something.

_Hey. Isn't that my . . . _

"My Jacket? Why do you have my jacket?"

In answer, the old hag dropped the jacket onto the ground. As Naoki looked at it, he was suddenly stunned to realize that it was moving.

_It's alive! No, wait –_

It wasn't the jacket at all that was alive, but the unconscious person underneath it. A young human with brown hair . . ."CHIAKI!"

"We found it just outside the main entrance. Yours?" Hua Po asked.

Naoki wasn't listening – he was stumbling over to her unconscious form, kneeling besides her. "Chiaki – Chiaki! Chiaki, wake up! Are you alright?"

_Why are you wearing my jacket?_

"She is unconscious," The lady in black informed him. "Her human body sustained severe injuries from the fallen debris which we have only somewhat managed to repair. As a human, she will be completely reliant on you for her survival. Have you not noticed, Naoki Kashima?"

"Noticed what?"

"Look above you."

Naoki obeyed and leaned back, looking up at a sky of red and a massively glowing ball of light. This wasn't exactly anything new – he'd already seen the light through the windows earlier. But then he caught a glimpse of something, and he gasped.

"What the – What is –"

Chiaki had been wrong when she'd said the sky had fallen down. It was more like the _land_ had fallen _up._

The sky Naoki had thought he was looking at. . . was not actually the sky at all. No, to be honest, in this new world there was no sky. There was the sun, so bright it hurt his eyes, but behind it was land, the other side of Tokyo staring down at him, as though the sun was the core and Tokyo its cover.

_How could this be?_

The lady in black seemed completely unbothered by Naoki's disbelieving stares. "As you can see, Tokyo has been transformed into a circular world. That which is shining in the center of this world is known as Kagatutsuhi. It is an aspect of God – His Devine Will. It is what created this Vortex World."

Naoki could barely comprehend what she was saying. _That thing is . . God? That thing was what killed everyone!_

"Why did. . .how did. . ."

"Kagatushi's sole purpose is to empower the one who will oversee creation, the act of bringing a new world into existence which is only made possible by the complete annihilation of the old world. The shape of this new world to come will depend on who is chosen, and what their Reason is."

"Their. . . their reason?" Naoki blinked. Behind him, all the demons nodded knowingly.

"Yes. Did you not hear the voice of God? When the Conception occurs, Kagatsuhi will speak to those fated to survive, seeking their Reason, their ideas and desires. It will then recreate the world in that person's image."

"Recreate the – " Suddenly everything became clear.

_HIKAWA! _

It was like a light bulb had gone off in his mind. Suddenly, he understood completely what Hikawa had talked about it. He destroyed the world so that he could create his own vision of paradise!

_What would a world according to a cult obsessed madman look like? _

Not good_, _Naoki concluded.

The old Hag was still talking. "Listen to me, demon with a human soul. My master has pitied you, allowed you to survive a cataclysm all others of your race did not. As a demon, you are now immune to much of the hardships your friend will face. Your demonic body shall never age nor need for food – the Magatama my Master has given you shall take care of all your energy needs."

She pointed to Chiaki. "Those who are used to hardship will find it much easier to survive this world than those who do not. You have emerged into a world of nightmares and dispair, where your humanity is nothing more than a liability. Any and all humans that remain alive will fight for survival constantly. Not just from the demons that will seek to consume their energy, but from the light of Kagatsuhi itself which shall burn their flesh if they are exposed to it. In this new world, strength, whether it be of will or of body, is everything."

Naoki gulped. _It's a nightmare. It's a terrible nightmare. To think that yesterday all I cared about was passing a maths lesson then playing video games. Now I'm surrounded by demons, I'M a demon, the world has ended and I'm fighting a crazy Cult Leader who wants to rebuild the world._

_God hates me._

The young bastard whispered into the old Hag's ear. "Ah. My Master wishes to congratulate you on defeating Forneus. Now, absorb the Magatsuhi of the fallen beast and become stronger."

"A. . . absorb? No.. . no!" Naoki yelled, suddenly defiant. "I'm not going to do it!"

"Use the Magatama we have given you as a guide to absorb its energy. My little master demands it."

The young Bastard turned, pointed at Pixie.

"Alright," Pixie grinned, one hand behind her back. "I've been waiting for this part, Pervert Boy. Up you get!" Hua Po and Shiki came over and grabbed him by his hair, forcing him to his feet from where he'd been kneeling next to Chiaki.

Naoki looked up at her and glanced at her hands in horror when he realized they were enveloped in a red glow that looked rather ominous. "What are you doing?"

She grinned wider. "I got your Magatsuhi for you!"

The look Naoki gave her could have killed a human at 100 paces. "NO. You can't make me eat that crap!"

Pixie was not human and thus completely unperturbed by his glare. "Now say 'Ah!' "

Naoki growled louder. "If you think I'm going to eat your stupid Magat-whatsit, then you've got another –" Naoki yelped, his mouth opening wide and his hands bending down to grab the Preta that had latched on to his leg. "YEOW!"

At the same time, Pixie lunged forward, shoving both of her hands down his throat. Naoki panicked, began to gag, but Pixie ignored him and kept shoving. "SWALLOW IT!" she roared.

Naoki tried to say _NO FREAKING WAY!, _but it came out more as incoherent gurgle as he was forced to swallow anyway or risk death by asphyxiation.

"Good boy." She stuck her hands out of his mouth and watched him roll on the dirt gagging.

"I. . . ." He spoke between gags. "I. . . hate. . .you . . so . . .much!"

"Oh come on, don't harp on about it. Magatsuhi doesn't have a taste!"

It was true, Naoki realized as he stopped in mid roll. It was as though he had swallowed nothing but air. Nor did he feel any different. Not as far as he could tell, anyway. He looked back up at the Old Hag as the young Bastard whispered into her ear again.

"Oh – my little master, are we leaving already?"

The young boy nodded.

"Pardon me now, Naoki, we must be going, keep doing what you're doing now. My Master has given you a gift, it is up to you what you do with it."

She began to fade away.

"You can create a new world, restore this world to the way it was, or destroy it completely."

Naoki snarled. "No. .. no! You get back here this instant, you Old –" He got back up to his feet, ran towards their fading bodies, but he wasn't fast enough – the child and the old woman vanished from view.

Only the old hag's voice remained. "The choice. . . is yours. . . ."

Then there was nothing.

Naoki climbed to his feet, looked around, yelled. Loudly. And long. When he'd finally finished, he sat back down and stared at the ground in a state of near catatonia.

it was Preta of all people who finally spoke. "He. . .Kash. . . eee. . . ma?"

"It's a last name," Shikigami told the Preta. "Only humans have it, instead of their demon clans."

"Is he dead?" Hua Po asked,, poking Naoki in the back.

"Ruargh. . .no. . ." The Will O wisp replied.

Kodama sighed. ""So what do we do now?"

Shikigami glanced at their new half demon master. "We wait."

* * *

><p><em>Is this. . . <em>

. . .

"Is this Tokyo?"

The speaker was a tall white haired man in a red cape, a man who looked quite decidedly out of place in post apocalyptic Tokyo. For starters, he appeared to be human, but he had no trouble standing under the glare of full Kagatushi. For another, he was armed with a gun in each hand and an absolutely gigantic sword on his back. And the final reason? He was drinking a strawberry sundae..

"That is correct. We are in the City of Tokyo that has been transformed into a Vortex World due to the Conception."

He was speaking to an unusual couple as well – an old man, sitting in a wheelchair, and a young woman, dressed in black, with a veil covering the top half of her face. The old man had not spoken a single word – all of the negotiations had been done by his nursemaid.

"Huh. Nice place. Not exactly the place where you'd expect to find sushi, though."

That was sarcasm – the place was a colossal crap heap, little more than a barren wasteland. No people, no geisha = hell. Sure, there were a couple of lilims and succubi around but. . . they weren't his type. He'd learned THAT lesson a fair while ago.

With nothing else to do, he was forced to concentrate on his mission. "So, let's get this party started. Where is this immensely powerful demon that threatens to destroy the world, how do I find it, and how do I kill it?"

"His whereabouts are currently unknown, " the pretty lady admitted. "However, you will be able to find him . .. using this." Where just a second ago her hand had been empty, it suddenly held what looked to be a . . . candelabra? No – it was a Jewish menorah. "As for its destruction . .. well, I'm sure I don't need to advice you on how to do your own job."

_Well, this is a new one._

He holstered his Ebony gun and took the Menorah, swung it like a weapon a couple of times. "A menorah? What am I supposed to do with this thing, burn your immensely powerful Hito Shura in the ass? Bang him over the head with it?"

The menorah made a poor weapon, sure, definitely no comparison to his Rebellion Claymore, but there was something funny about it as it happened to be on fire. And no matter how much he swung the thing, the flames wouldn't go out. Nor, when he experimentally held it to his finger, did it burn his hand or his cape. That was surprising but handy. "Huh. What's with this thing?"

"Its flames will flicker when you are in close proximity to the one you seek."

"Oh. So what, I'm supposed to use this thing as a dowsing rod?" He scoffed. "Great. So I just wonder around with this highly flammable thing, until I accidentally run into this guy? I don't even know my way around this place!"

"We will give you a guide." The chick continued.

"Oh that's reassure. . . " his voice trailed off when he realized the young woman was holding something in her arms. He was positive her hands had been empty before.

_How DOES she do that?_

"Hey, isn't that a kid?"

"He was a friend of the demon before it revealed its true self. Keep him safe, because he has a great destiny to play in this new world."

_This wasn't part of the deal!_

"What – so I have to baby sit a kid, while at the same time carrying a menorah, two guns, a sword and my sundae? I've only got two arms, you know!" He took a slurp from said sundae.

The chick sighed. "I'm sure you'll figure something out. You ARE supposed to be a famous demon slayer, after all."

The moment she'd finished speaking, she vanished into thin air, as did the wheelchair bound man. He was left with only his weapons, his wits and a whelp with wide eyes who was whining.

". . . Bah. That old guy. . . what a client. This is going to be one tough job .. ."

In all of his dealings with demons, he hadn't heard of a Hito-Shura before. Hmm. . . the name suggested 'a monster in human form'. Did that mean this kid was like . .. ?

He sighed. "Oh well, time to get to work." He turned to the kid, examined him. He was a young man, couldn't be older than fifteen or sixteen, waring a nice hat and muttering.

" . . .Naoki . .. Naoki. . . . what ha. . .what happened to you. . . why did you. . ."

_Naoki? Sounds Japanese. _

"Look a little shell shocked, don't you. Hey, kid - – what's your name?"

For a few seconds it looked like the kid hadn't heard him – but then he turned around and whispered a name. "I-Isamu. Isamu Nitta."

The foreigner smirked as he finished the last of his strawberry sundae. "Well, hi there Isamu, My name is. .. "

* * *

><p>"Naoki? Hey, Naoki! Stop spacing out!" The Pixie hit the boy in the head and sighed when he didn't respond.<p>

"When I said we wait," Shikigami muttered. "I meant we'd wait longer than five minutes, fairy."

"Yeah!" Hua Po growled. "If you're so impatient, then you can just fly off by yourself and save us the irritation of having to listen to you!"

"Huh! And miss out on the free Magatsuhi and power upgrades! Not a chance!" She snorted. "You just want to keep Lucifer's reward for yourself. Besides, that pervert owes me!"

She turned as Naoki finally snapped out of his state and struggled to his feet. "FINALLY. Let's go, let's go!" She grabbed him by an arm and began to pull.

Naoki staggered to his feet, physically in perfect health but mentally exhausted. He greeted this sensation like an old friend. This feeling of simply wanting to collapse to the ground and drop dead was one he had felt many times before. Like always, he would momentarily visualise an overly idealistic scenario: his body falling to the ground in a peaceful, painless death, his spirit rising up to the sky, surrounded by glorious angels who would greet him and hug him and take him to heaven.

But then, as always, his rational mind would inform him that vision was nothing but a fantasy, especially in this new reality. The glorious angels would most likely toss him down, all the way to the other place and force him to live out eternity with rapists, terrorists and dentists. And death was rarely peaceful and even more rarely painless.

So, just like every other time he'd felt this way, he rose again to his feet, put his troubles to one side and tried to figure out what to do next, forgetting about overly idealist scenarios and trying to deal with the here and now. In this case, it was the question of what to do with Chiaki.

He pointed to her as she lay on the ground, face covered by his jacket. "Has. . she woken up yet?" He asked the other demons.

Shikigami shook his head. "No."

"She didn't even move when I set her hair on fire!" Hua Po helpfully added. "I'd say this human is out for the count!"

"Dead to the world!" Kodama cheered.

"Want eat," Preta whinged.

"I see. Um, about before. . . I'm sorry for lying.." Naoki muttered. "I should have told you the truth, I was just –"

"Yeah, we know!" Hua Po said cheerily. "We eat humans for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we were going to eat you too . . . but you're half Fiend, so we'll make an exception."

". . .Fiend?" Naoki was confused.

"Yep, Naoki of the Fiend Clan. Congratulations, you've got an actual demon name now!"

"We never would have guessed you as a Fiend," Shiki admitted. "If you'd just gone and told us the truth, we would have just killed you where you stood. "

"Yeah, yeah," Pixie grumbled impatiently. "Can we go to Yoyogi Park, already?"

"No," Shikigami frowned. "That's not a good idea."

Pixie frowned. "WHAT! Why not?"

Shiki turned to Naoki. "Yoyogi Park is an open area with little shade. I presume, Naoki, that you wish to take this human with you?"

Naoki nodded.

"Then, you will need to keep her safe. Not just from demons, but also from Kagatsuhi's light. That is something that will be extremely difficult to do in a place like Yoyogi Park."

"Yeah, whatever paper boy." Pixie tapped her foot. "So, where do you suggest in your great wisdom?"

"To Shibuya. Its not far from here and its underground, which will protect the human from Kagatsuhi. Moreso, Shibuya is the designated neutral area of this world. It's not completely safe for a human . . ."

". . . but it's as good as things will get," Pixie tapped her foot faster. "YEAH! I figured that out. Who cares! We're going to Yoyogi Park!" She began to pull Naoki's hair in the park's direction. "Let's get going, already! I'm late and all the Magatsuhi is probably gone by. . . hey, Naoki! LISTEN!"

Naoki wasn't listening. He was stooped over Chiaki, carefully positioning his jacket over her to cover as much of her as he could. He was already able to see where the sun had burnt and blistered her skin, causing open sores that were irritated by the sand. Yes. Shikigami's idea sounded best.

"Um . .. I'm really sorry, Pixie," Naoki apologised. "But. . . I really need to make sure Chiaki's safe, and Yoyogi Park is out in the open, and . . ."

Pixie cut him off. "We. Are. Going. To. Yoyogi. PARK!"

"Want eat!" said the Preta, pointing at Pixie.

"Go ahead," Hua Po told him. Gleefully, the Preta charged, but unfortunately he went straight past Pixie and kept going, leaping into the air then coming down, mouth open, upon a disembodied purple skull.

"GRuuah! Help . . .me!" It screeched.

"Oh yeah," Kodama remembered. "We found a new friend – we call him Bill. Bill O the Wisp."

"Actually, he's WILL O the wisp, but Bill's good too." Hua Po corrected.

"Is he . . . on our side?" Naoki was hesitant – he'd already killed a whole of the purple skulls, so he didn't think any of them would be willing to come with him on his wanderings.

"Yup," Hua Po answered. "He used to be a subordinate of Forneus, but since you kicked the ray's arse he's switched sides. Besides. . . " she grinned evilly. "We told him that if he refused we'd feed him to the Preta."

A long moan came from inside the Preta's mouth. "Grrruuuuh . . .But. . . .I . .. Agggggg…..reeeeed!"

"You're a ghost!" Hua Po yelled back. "He can't kill you, you're already DEAD! Why don't you just phase through his stomach?"

"Great, just great," Shikigami muttered. "Yet another irritant to add to our little band. So, Naoki. Where are we going?"

"We're going to –" Pixie's voice was cut off by Hua Po clapping her hand over her mouth. "Nobody asked you!"

Naoki sighed, and moved to pick Chiaki up onto his back, almost as though he were giving her a piggy back ride. He looked around for anything familiar so he could plot the way. ". . . Damn. I can't even tell where Shibuya is now…"

"We will guide you, Naoki of the Fiend," Shikigami informed him. "Kodama knows the way to Shibuya, and Hua Po's ability to fly shall allow her to scout from above."

"You. . . you're really going to . . .help me?"

"We are."

Naoki went a little pink in the face. "Um. . . thanks."

"Great," Pixie snarled, freeing her mouth from Hua Po's hand.. "If he's not apologizing, he's being grateful. Bah. Whatever. FINE! But I'm not letting you off escort duty THAT easy! I'm going with you. "

Hua Po and Kodama groaned in unison. "Do you HAVE to?"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes<p>

And so we've finally made it out of the Hospital after over 60,000 words, 10 chapters, 20 reviews, 972 hits and 341 visitors. Yippee!

A big thankyou to:

Lupus-Cantus-Grimoure, 741852AuthorNicolaStarlaLili (You're still reading? I thought you'd been scared off by the course language!), Foxgirl2501, The Man Who Has No Life , DarkFlareFox, Hades378 and Damien Black. That's everyone, right? *Fingers crossed*

By the way, I honest to goodness hope that I got our red caped silver haired cameo character correct. I basically went along "Arrogant Badass Wise cracker" lines, which couldn't really be further from Devil May Cry 2, but it seems to be his accepted character. If I messed up, someone let me know.


	12. Burdens

Chapter 11: Burdens

"NAAAAAOOOOOOKIIIII!"

"RUUUUUN!"

"WOOOOOAAAH!"

"PEEEERVEEEERT!"

*GRUUAHH CAN'T ESCAAPPE!"

"WAAAANT EEAAAAAAT!"

Naoki was the first to come sprinting over the hill at full speed, Chiaki's unconscious body slumped over his back and shielded from Kagatsuhi's glare by his jacket. The Preta, meanwhile, was running behind them, Shikigami around his neck and Kodama relegated to healing and support duties. These duties should have been shared by the Pixie, but she was instead sitting comfortably in the hood of the jacket, snacking on the Magatsuhi emitted by the human.

The eight of them – Naoki, Chiaki, Hua Po, Pixie, Preta, Shikigami, Kodama and Bill O the Wisp were headed for Shibuya. Shikigami had told them that he knew the way the Shibuya. Unfortunately, it turned out that paper demons absolutely sucked at directions and they'd gotten lost in record time.

At first, Naoki had simply wondered around and tried to find Shibuya on his own as he'd visited the place a couple of times, but it quickly became obvious that pre-apocalypse directions were completely unhelpful. Much of the Vortex World was little more than a deserted. . . well, desert, with scant reminders that a human city actually existed here at all. A few overturned cars here and there, a pile of rubble that may have once been a house, some dead trees. That was pretty much it – aside from that it was a barren landscape of red sand and red sky. Finally, they'd realized that they'd have a better chance of finding Shibuya from the air, so Hua Po had flown up to find the place.

Instead, she'd found trouble.

The eight of them were being pursued by a swarm of monstrous looking birds – Zhenmiao, Pixie called them, lured by the smell of Magatsuhi emanating from Chiaki's body – a smell Naoki himself couldn't detect at all, but which the other demons swore by. At first, Hua Po and Preta had been able to burn the swarm to a crisp, holding them off. But as Kagatushi increased in luminence, so too did the Zhens increase in ferocity, until at Kagatushi's full brightness they actually became able to speak, coordinate plans and fight much more effectively. The group had been forced to run for their life.

Zhens looked a bit like multi coloured skeletons of a large raptor, like a hawk or an eagle, except for the simple fact that they were easily as big as Naoki was himself and actually still had light translucent feathers. They also had serpentine like tails. These tails, apparently, were the dangerous bit - its diet of venomous snakes made a Zhen's body incredibly poisonous. So poisonous, that the slightest touch of its feathers could kill you. There were so poisonous, apparently, that not even the PRETAS would eat one. This didn't stop the group from also been pursued by a small army of Pretas shouting "Want eat Want eat Want eat want eat want eat," all at once until it became an indistinguishable roar.

The old hag hadn't been lying when she said humans were a liability in this world, much as Naoki felt terrible to admit. Chiaki herself had not truly regained consciousness in all the time they'd been travelling, however long that was – time in the form of hours and minutes had no real sense here and his new demonic body was capable of running for seemingly forever. More than that, being unconscious she was unable to walk and her legs were badly injured anyway, which meant Naoki had to carry her. This meant that he couldn't fight.

"Want eat!" The Preta whinged. This had probably been the longest he had ever gone without eating, so maybe the whinging was justified.

Naoki didn't say anything, but doubled his efforts in running. The others ran, or flew, behind him, having run out of their magical powers – their energy, or whatever it was – a fair while ago. This meant that they couldn't throw spells anymore – all they could do was run. This was fine with Naoki, who couldn't' use magic and had to run away all the time anyway. It meant less death and less hurting people. He only wished that he knew what time it was. His digital clock didn't work, nor did his cell phone. And although Pixie had pointed out that there was a standard watch on Chiaki's wrist, checking the time would have involved awkward positioning that simply did not sit right in his mind.

By the time they finally reached Shibuya, everybody was in bad shape, covered in scratches and blood . All magic was extinguished, all were exhausted. Naoki himself had his right eye stuck shut by dried blood on his face – his own, this time, caused by the Zhen's raking talons when they'd tried to swoop on Chiaki and he'd moved to protect her. His left arm was also badly injured to the point he couldn't feel it anymore – he needed to glance at it every few moments to make sure it was still attached.

But at last they had reached Shibuya, having run the entire way from Shinjuku, without sleep or eating or even defecating. Finally, they had reached safety.

Except, of course, for the Zehns. They followed them all the way from Shinjuku, followed them up and down every hill, followed them all the way into Shibuya, even followed them whilst they went sprinting through the desolate streets. And when they arrived at the shopping district, they found themselves surrounded by even MORE Zehns and Pretas, their escape route cut off.

"OH, COME ON!" Naoki shouted in frustration.

"So," Shikigami muttered. "Anybody got any magic left?"

In answer, everybody stared at Pixie as she poked her head out of the hood on the jacket. ". . .what?"

"Grruuuuh…" Bill O the Wisp muttered. "In . . .trouble. . . use . . . magic. . .. "

"It's time to make yourself useful, Fairy!" Hua Po yelled at her. "Fight back!"

The pixie stretched out and yawned. "Go fight them yourself!"

"We can't! You're the only one who still has magic!" Shiki roared at her.

"No I'm not! What about the Pervert?"

Naoki sniffed, partly from guilt and partly from having sand stuck up his nose. "I'm sorry. . .I don't know any magic." _And thank goodness for that._

"Of course you don't!" Shiki snarled. "Unlike a certain pint sized coward, you're not a spell caster!"

The Pixie frowned. "Who are you calling Pint Sized, Paper Boy!"

Shiki looked as though he was about to continue the argument, but there were more important things going on. Zhens didn't simply stand by and wait whilst the demons were arguing – they were screeching, readying their tails to swoop.

"Here they come!" Kodama whimpered as they swooped down . ..

Then bounced off an invisible force field that appeared out of freaking nowhere.

"What. . .what the hell! " Naoki whispered, glancing around him in surprise, holding Chiaki's unconscious body close.

"Was that a spell?" Kodama asked.

That looked like. . .a Tetrakarn!" Shiki gasped. "But. . . none of us know that sort of spell! Who. .. "

He was interrupted by a loud shout. "Yoooooooooooooooo Duuuuudes!" Then suddenly there was a massive explosion, followed closely by the sound of hundreds of Zhens falling out of the sky.

Some sixth sense made Naoki turn around. Strangely enough, despite all the madness that had taken place in the last few. . . however long it was, he was still stunned by what he saw. After all, he certainly hadn't expected to find himself talking to a bright orange six foot tall five pointed starfish.

Nor would he have expected said orange starfish to be capable of speaking. "Um. . .before you ask, duuuuuudes, that explosion was my Megido, and NOT what you think!"

"Oh crap," Shikigami whispered from behind.

"You . . .you know this guy, Shiki?" Hua Po asked the paper demon.

Shikigami nodded. "He's Decarabia of the Fallen."

Hua Po was stunned. "We are sooo dead. Are you sure he's Decarabia? As in, THE Decarabia?"

"The same!" the starfish grinned. "These are my Zhens, duuuuuudes. I was going to play a prank on a buddy of mine, but you guys must've stumbled into it instead."

"Want eat," said the Preta.

"You can WANT to eat him all you want," Hua Po taunted, "but he's waaaaay above your level. You hear that, Naoki? Don't screw up and make him mad!"

"Aww, dduuuuuude, don't worry about it," Decarabia smiled. "I won't bite! I recognise the rest of your homies, but I don't think I've met one like you before. What's your name, Duuuuuude?"

"Oh, I'm Naoki Kashima, of the. .. " his voice trailed off, as he came perilously close to saying 'Of the Perverts."

"Want eat!" the Preta said again.

Decarabia grinned. "Well met, Naoki Kashima of the Want Eat Clan! I am Decarabia of the Fallen, Marquis of Hell. Nice to meet you!"

"A Marquis?" Naoki blinked. "But. . but I thought that Forneus was…"

"A Marquis? Yep, he's one too. Oh, hey!" The starfish shouted. "Do you duuuuuudes know Forneus?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah!" Pixie suddenly spoke. "We're great friends of his! Best buddies!"

Naoki turned to her, blinking but not understanding. She hissed at him. "Shut up and play along!"

_But you're lying! _Naoki thought, but didn't say anything. Somehow a sin such as lying seemed rather minor compared to the genocide, blasphemy and heresy he'd been doing ever since he met the Young Bastard. Besides, calling her out for lying would seem rather hypocritical considering that he'd been lying about his humanity.

"Really! Me too! Oh yeah, Forneus and I, we go waay back!" The starfish wiggled its points and grinned at them. "So. tell me duuuudes. Do you know where that ray of Ice is now?"

"He's dead!" Kodama shouted before Hua Po could cover his mouth.

"Uh, dead tired is what he meant!" She said hurriedly as Pixie shoved Kodama into the Preta's mouth to prevent him from saying anything worse. "Last I saw him, Ol' Forneus was in Shinjuku, eating Pretas."

"Bah- freaking typical!" Decarabia snarled – something Naoki never knew starfish were capable of. "Well, if you see the guy, tell him that his 29 legions of Angels are causing trouble over in Ginza, would you? They're giving Madame Nyx an absolute frightful time, and let me tell you, You do NOT want to piss off Madama Nyx!"

"We'll. . . uh . . ." Naoki stammered. "We'll let him know. If we meet him again." _Though that isn't terribly likely._ "Um, listen. Have you seen a . . . any humans? I'm looking for some of them."

"Oh I've seen them alright!" Decarabia smirked. "Man. For being an extinct species there sure seems to be a lot of those duuuuuudes around. I just saw two humans recently travelling from old Shinjuku way, a short duuuuude in a freaky hat and a tall weirdo in a red cape with a hell of a sword."

_Isamu! But who is – _"Do you know where they went? It's really important."

"Afraid not, duuuuuudes. I'm more an expert on herbs and metals than humans and mortals. All I know is they went straight past Shibuya and headed out into the wasteland."

"Awww." Kodama muttered. "Well then, thanks for your help Doooood!"

"No problem, Duuuuuuude!"

* * *

><p>Naoki had not been to Shibuya very often – he absolutely hated large crowds, something Shibuya was famous for. It was a major tourist destination. Now, the entire area was as good as completely deserted. From 50,000 people to less than 50. The feeling was absolutely dizzying – the skyscrapers that used to make up Shibuya's skyline? The gigantic screens? The people? All gone.<p>

That said, however! If not for the most definitely inhuman residents, when underground in Shibuya one might be forgiven for thinking the end of the world had no occurred at all. In comparison with the wasteland surrounding them, Shibuya was bright and cheerful. You could still easily identify the shopping districts and the late night dance clubs.

Strangely enough, despite the power being out, all the lights were on.

"Some idiots probably wasted their Magatsuhi on repairing the dance club," Shiki answered when he was asked why the power had been restored. "Some demons actually like human music."

"Heavy metal?" Naoki had asked. He'd always heard heavy metal was satanic, so it made sense that demons would like that sort of thing.

"Not really.. ." Shiki replied, shrugging his paper shoulders. "I prefer classical, myself."

It was a surreal experience, a mix of the familiar and the supernatural. Where before humans had been manning the stores, now there were demons.

In the dance club, a ghostly deejay played music, whilst ghosts and cat demons and Pretas and Pixies and living slimes danced. . .or oozed, in the latter's case. In an odd twist of irony, Naoki recognised one of the songs the club was playing as "Staying Alive", by the Bee Gees. He found this pretty funny in a morbid sort of way.

One area had been completely taken over by what appeared to be a trio of smokestacks, guarded by a humanlike demon that recognised Naoki for what he was instantly and spoke to him about his services. He was the Minister of something called the Cathedral of Shadows, a place of demonic rituals and summoning. As Naoki looked on in horror, mentally blocking his ears, the Minister described the process of summoning stronger demons to the Vortex World – it involved using the smokestacks to completely obliterate two allies, then use their Magatsuhi as an offering to summon a stronger demon.

Needless to say, Naoki humbly tuned down this offer. By way of running through the underground yelling like an idiot.

Finally, outside a store that was originally for . . . err. . .adult entertainment, Naoki found himself staring at a little blue and white snowman shaped creature, wearing a tinkling hat. Part of him found it familiar, somehow . .. he could have sworn he'd seen it somewhere before.

"YOU!" Pixie shrieked, leaping out of his jacket and hurling electricity at the snowman.

The snowman screeched in pain, turned and gave a yell of its own. "Heehoooooo that hurts!" before forming a snowball in its hand that it then threw back at the Pixie.

In the next instant, the two demons were rolling around on the floor, hurling lightning and ice at each point blank, locked in a brutal battle of kicks and punches as each tried to best the other. For a few minutes, it seemed to be a completely even battle. . . but then the dust cleared and Pixie was revealed on top of the snowman, holding it by one hand while the other was using a . . . a. . an _object_ as a makeshift weapon, hitting the snowman over the head with it.

"You! Son! Of! A! Snowball!" She shouted in between hits.

Shiki snorted and smirked from a safe distance away from the squabble. "Children! They're so immature, aren't they Naoki?" No answer. "Naoki!" The paper demon looked around. Kodama and Hua Po were betting macca on the victor of the battle, Preta was eating the merchandise, Bill O the Wisp was staring on disapprovingly, and Naoki . . .

Naoki was outside the shop, sitting down with his hands covering his eyes. _Don't look don't look don't look don't look. . . _

He could still hear Pixie's voice as she argued with the snowman, continuing to hit it with her improvised weapon. "This! Is for abandoning me in that hospital! This! Is for leaving me to those Pretas! This! Is for getting us completely lost!"

A whinging voice came from the other demon. "Heehoo! I'm sorry, heeho!" It was a high pitched squeaky voice, similar to Kodama's but slightly older, maybe a child aged about ten. "Please heehoo! Please stop abusing the merchandice!"

Pixie stopped hitting him, threw her weapon away and glared at the snowman. "I hate you!"

"I Heehoing hate you too!" The snowman yelled as it climbed back to its feet.

"Fine!" Pixie growled. "Fuck You!"

"Fine! Heeho Of!" The snowman yelled back.

There was long pause, broken up only by demonic snarls as the two demons glared at each other. Finally, Naoki broke it.

"Um. .. uh… Pixie, who . . "

"Oh, this guy?" Pixie asked, grinning as she and the snowman wrapped an arm over each others necks.. "He's my best buddy!"

Naoki stared. _Best friend? They nearly killed each other!_

"The name is Frost, Jack Frost, he ho!" The snowman chortled. "I've a licence to Chill! Nice to meet you, He ho!"

Shikigami groaned. "Oh Satan, not another irritating minor."

"Uh, my name's Naoki Kashima. Of the . . Fiend Clan?" It was still incredibly bizarre introducing himself as a demon. He looked around warily, suddenly noticed the Preta chewing on the merchandise at a record pace. He pointed at the purple demon. "Uh, sorry about that. Should I stop him?"

Jack's cheerful demeanour wasn't even bothered when he spotted the Preta devouring the items for sale. "He ho! It's okay, Aside from Mara, I wasn't getting much customer demand for these things anyway, he ho."

"Mara?" Kodama asked. "Who's that?"

"Gruuah. . . Never . . . you .. . mind!" Bill O the Wisp replied back.

"So. Tell me something, Jack.," Pixie talked to her friend. "What are you doing selling dildos in Shibuya?"

Jack Frost giggled, perhaps at the sight of Naoki sticking his fingers in his ears from his position in the doorway, refusing to take a single step inside. "I'm trying to save up enough macca to go on a journey, He Ho! I want to be strong, stronger than the great King! I want to –" He sniffed the air. "I smell something…"

"He who dealt it, smelt it!" Kodama yelled.

"No, not like that, he ho! I meant. . . " He continued to sniff, walking around the group – straight through Bill O the Wisp at one point. Finally, he came to a dead stop in front of Naoki,

"You smell of human, He Ho. Why's that?"

"Are you blind as well as stupid, Jack?" Pixie yelled at him. "He's holding a human on his back!"

"He ho? Let me see. . . " Jack jumped up and down, trying to look at Chiaki. "You've really got a real live human, He Ho?"

Naoki nodded. "She's a . . my friend. So, please don't hurt her."

"Aww, I won't do that, he ho. I like humans and not just to eat. Let me see!"

"Oh. .. okay," Naoki decided, still not entirely comfortable with the idea. He knelt down and gently let go of her, letting her unconscious body fall to the ground without injury. Jack Frost took a look at her. . . poked her in the side with a foot. . .

Then went bright orange and began to melt. "Heeeeeeeee Hoooooooooooooooo She's HOT!" He flailed his arms around and began howling at the ceiling.

"Jeez. . .don't be so dramatic. . ." Pixie muttered under her breath. "And she's not THAT pretty for a human. . . ."

Jack wasn't listening – he was dancing around Chiaki's unconscious form, then turning to Naoki and producing a pile of coins out of nowhere. "How much you want, Hee ho?"

Naoki blinked. ". . .Huh?"

_How do these demons manage to produce money out of thin air!_

"I have 5,000 macca here, he ho!" He pointed to the coins. "Is that enough, he ho?"

_What's he talking about? Does he want to –_

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. _He wants to BUY her. _Naoki could only imagine what a snowman demon owning an adult entertainment store would want with an adolescent unconscious . . .

_NO! Stop thinking!_

"We accept!" Pixie said happily, her eyes the same shape as the marking on the coins. "Macca macca macca!"

"Wait – WHAT?" Naoki shook his head clear of sinful desires and tried to convince himself that he'd heard wrong.

"Aww, don't be mad, Naoki!" The pixie teased as Naoki stared uncomprehending. "This is a good thing. We get the money, your pet human gets a bodyguard. You won't let anything happen to the human. . ." Lightning shook in her fingers as she glared at the snowman with bright red eyes and a snarl. "WOULD YOU, JACK?"

The snowman shook his head vigorously, saluted. "Hee ho no! I, Jack Frost, Licence to Chill, shall protect this human with my life! I swear on my He Ho!"

Pixie smirked. "Good boy."

"Phat Lewt!" Hua Po and Kodama cheered. "Phat Lewt! Phat Lewt!"

"Um, but I don't want to sell her. ." Naoki began. "and I don't think this is a good –"

Pixie waved him off. "Oh, who cares what you think! Let's go to Yoyogi Park, already, we've wasted enough time! Let's go! Let's go!"

Shikigami sighed. "Much as I HATE to admit it, the fairy might have a good point this time."

"Urgh. . . . " Bill O the Wisp moaned. "A…greed. We. . . magic. . . gone. Need. . . healing. . . "

Naoki blinked. "But I thought Kodama healed your guys."

"I did!" Kodama protested. "I even healed the none Jirae, just like you asked, Mister!"

"I do not mean healing of physical wounds," Shikigami corrected. "Rather, the replenishment of magical energy."

"Oh, I understand," Naoki replied, not actually understanding at all. "So. . . you can't heal this . . .err, magical energy. . . on your own?"

"WHY do you not know this –" Hua Po began to yell, then suddenly remembered. "Oh, right. . . half demon, I forgot. Fine, fine, I'll explain. In a nutshell, no we can't. I've heard of demons that can regenerate it on their own, but not us, and not here."

"It sure ain't hell, that's for sure," Pixie muttered. "There's places one can recover though, of course – such as Yoyogi Park."

"That's right, he ho!" Jack said from where he was dragging Chiaki's unconscious form off. "There's a healing spring right over there. Just one dip, and you're all healed. Of course, before you can do that, you have to pay off the healer first."

"They've moved in already?" Pixie grumbled. "Those freaking entrepreneurs! Ah well, just as well we've got the macca then." She scooped it up off the floor – the whole lot, despite not having any pockets. Naoki couldn't figure out how she did it.

_Must be a demon thing._

"Right then – Off to Yoyogii Park!" She jumped onto Naoki's head, one leg on each side of his neck. "Yah mule! Mush!"

"But. . " Naoki began to protest. "But I don't want to - OW!" He yelped as Pixie pulled on his ears. "I don't want to leave Chiaki!"

"Well, you're just going to have to!" Pixie grumbled. "She belongs to Jack now. He'll keep her nice and safe while we go off to Yoyogi Park, right?"

"Want eat," said the Preta, jumping up and trying to grab the Pixie.

Naoki was still whinging and whimpering. "But. . . but I don't want to. . ."

"Come on, face it – the sooner I get to Yoyogi Park. . ." the pixie grinned as she pointed to the members of Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team. ". . .the sooner you guys can be rid of me."

Shiki looked at Hua Po. Hua Po looked at Kodama. Kodama looked at Shiki. All three of them looked at Naoki.

". . . We have made a decision," Shiki announced as Hua Po flew over to Naoki and grabbed him by an arm. "We are going to Yoyogi Park."

"What?" Naoki whimpered. "But I –" His protests were cut off as the demons went and pushed him out of the store and continued to push until he was out of Shibuya.

Pixie waved behind her. "Bye, Jack! Have fun!"

The snowman went orange and melted slightly. "He ho ho ho ho!"

* * *

><p>"What's a matter with you?"<p>

"Hey!"

"Got a no respect."

"Hey!"

"What do you think you do?"

"Hey!"

"Why do you look a so sad?"

"Hey!"

"It's a not so bad… . "

Hey!"

"It's a nicer place –"

"Want eat, " said the Preta.

"AH SHUDDUP YOUR FACE!" All of the demons shouted, even Shikigami.

Naoki only just managed to stop himself from joining in. Much as he hated to admit it, carrying Chiaki around really HAD been a severe liability, rendering him unable to help his allies, something that Naoki had absolutely hated. He hated to be a burden on anybody.

He still felt terrible for abandoning Chiaki at Shibuya, but he knew that he couldn't put her in any more danger. He had to be strong for her and for Isamu. As out of character as it was, it was reality. Moping did nothing – only actions mattered.

And what mattered right now was that the journey to Yoyogi Park without Chiaki was far less eventful than the mad rush to Shibuya with her. Whereas before Pretas and Zhens had followed and tried to kill them constantly, letting up only at silent Kagatsuhi, now they mostly kept to their own. At one point, Naoki and his little group actually walked right through a battle between Pretas trying to eat each other, and the Pretas had taken pretty much no notice of them.

There was, however, one exchange that bothered Naoki, when the group had run into another group of Pretas shouting "Want eat! Want eat!" That wasn't the surprise – what was surprising was that Naoki's Preta, the one he had . . . recruited. . . from Shinjuku, had jumped in front of Naoki and yelled back at the attacking Pretas as they approached.

"No!" It had shouted. "No eat! No eat!" And it had tried to blow a fireball to make the enemy Pretas go away, but was out of magic. The other Pretas had gotten the hint, however – they had fled the impending fireballs as fast as they could, despite the fact that the fireballs never actually appeared

"Why did. . . why did Preta do that?" Naoki found himself asking.

Pixie shrugged. "Not a clue. Them Pretas never make much sense anyway."

" How odd. . ." Shiki wondered aloud. "They usually care about nothing but eating. Why is this one protecting you, Naoki?"

"Who cares?" Pixie whinged. "Maybe you hit him in the head too hard and now he's a little dopey or something. Let's keep going!" She kicked Naoki's neck as though he was a horse. "Giddup!"

The Preta turned back to face Naoki and for a second there was an emotion in its normally blank white orbs. Naoki didn't know what emotion it was.

"Me. . ." the Preta pointed at itself. "Me. . .sorry. . ."

_What?_

Naoki blinked, and in the next instant the Preta was chewing on a dusty boulder as though nothing had happened.

_Was it just my imagination, then?_

They reached Yoyogi Park without further incident, which was just as well because by the time they'd arrived the group was out on its feet. Though they were relatively safe from the Zehns and Pretas most of the time, when Kagatsuhi was at its brightest all hell broke loose. It was as though the light drove everybody insane – including Naoki himself, to a certain extent. One time, he'd actually completely blacked out and regained his senses later to find himself chewing on a Preta leg. It was an enemy Preta's leg, not that that was any consolation. It still absolutely horrified him.

Now they'd arrived at the desolate wasteland previously known as Yoyogi Park. Originally an area of lush greenery and a sparkling pond, not to mention a series of police barricades, now little more than a barren desert. Naoki couldn't help but choke back a bit of sadness at this sight – he'd quite liked the Park, particularly when there weren't so many people in it.

Not that there weren't people in it right now. There were souls absolutely everywhere, some of them simply moaning and wailing, others yelling and fighting. Some looked to be drinking an ethereal type of liquor, whilst others were actually fighting.

"That's humans for you," Shikigami muttered ruefully. "Can't stop fighting even when they're dead."

"Want Eat!" said the Preta after it had unsuccessfully attempted to eat one of the ghosts.

"Raar!" The Pixie roared. "Never mind these undead geezers! Let's go find the King and Queen!"

"What?" Naoki was confused. She hadn't mentioned anything about royalty before now.

Hua Po was the one to explain. "The King and Queen of the Fiaries, Oberon and Titania. Apparently, they've decided to move in here to snack on the dead."

"Yep," Pixie nodded. "There was a big old tiff here not too long ago, resulting in an absolute ocean load of Magatsuhi!"

Naoki gasped as he suddenly understood. _Hikawa! Hijiri mentioned something about this, a fight between two . . .two demonic cults. So that means that these ghosts are . . the cultists?_

As they explored Yoyogi Park further, they began to run into the resident demons. Most of them were hostile and most of them were, to Naoki's surprise, Pixies, looking a lot like the one that Naoki had, but with different hairstyles and clothes. They all had a few things in common, however: blazing red eyes, the ability to shoot lightning, and a general aura of malevolence.

"Hey! Hey mister!" the Pixies had yelled at him. "You're no fairy!"

"Um, no . . " Naoki had began to say. "I'm actually –"

But that was as far as he got – the Pixies had given out a screech of "INTRUDER!" And the next thing he knew, he was being pelted by lightning and tiny punches as they swarmed him. This proved to be a terrible mistake - Shikigami, realizing there was a battle, had wrapped himself around Naoki's head and before Naoki could do anything, the electricity bolts the fairies threw were suddenly being reflected back at them.

The air was filled with the screams of young children – not demons, but young girls as they shrieked in pain and fell to the ground, twitching. Even as Naoki put his hands to his own mouth in horror, his own companions were rushing towards the Pixie horde and were attacking them.

_Hell. This is hell._


	13. Culture Shock

Chapter 12: Culture Shock

As he watched his demonic allies attack the enemy Pixies – his own Pixie attacking her own kind with cries of glee and heard their screams of pain and agony, Naoki was forced to admit that he'd run out of excuses.

When he'd been attacked by the disembodied skulls and burned corpses in Amala, Naoki had dealt with it by thinking they were already dead, therefore he couldn't kill them again. When he'd battled the Pretas in the hospital, he'd dealt with it by thinking they were merely monsters, incapable of feeling pain. When the horde of Hua Pos, Shikigami and Pretas attacked them later, he'd dealt with it by thinking that he'd simply run away from them and thus hadn't harmed them. When the Pretas and Zhens had attacked them outside, Naoki had dealt with it by prioritising Chiaki's safety over a few measly demons.

But now - as he watched the Pixie punching and kicking her own kind, as he watched his own hands spinning through the air, watched his feet going up and down and stomping on Pixies as they fell to the ground,, heard their screams of pain and agony . . .

All he could think was the same question, over and over.

_What am I doing! _

It had been total pandemonium – his team, completely drained of magic, were forced to fight it out in hand to hand combat, resulting in the most dirty, feral battle he'd had yet. The two fairies fought like street fighters, punching and kicking and grappling with intent to not maim but kill. The Preta bit into fairies and consumed them while they were still alive, leaving body parts strewn across the ground. Kodama acted like a battering ram, flying through the air and charging into Pixies at top speed, sending them tumbling along the ground. Bill O Wisp ran at Pixies with his mouth wide open, crushing limbs within his teeth.

Only Shiki didn't participate in the slaughter – he was sitting atop Naoki's head, using his own body to shield the team from the incoming bolts of electricity, sending those same bolts back at the enemy until the ground was littered with smoking corpses.

Not true combat, but a brawl. A massacre. They were just Pixies – children! – too small to cause any real damage, posing little threat to them without their electricity. His demonic side thrilled to the song of battle that rushed through his veins, but the human part of him rebelled violently with every broken bone he inflicted and every scream of pain he heard.

_I'm killing children! Demonic children yes, but children! Eight year old children! WHY! Why am I doing this! No. No, I can't do this! I can't!_

"ENOUGH!"

In the middle of battle – in mid punch, actually, he threw his hands to his sides. He grabbed his demon side in a vice lock and pushed it out of the way, ignored the desire to keep fighting and hurting and killing and shouted.

"STOP THIS! I won't fight any more!" He declared to the world.

The other demons on his team stared at him as though he'd gone completely insane, but did not waste the time to reprimand him, simply increased their own efforts to protect him from his own stupidity..

In another world, an overly idealistic one, this action would have resulted in an immediate cease fire and probably a long night at the nearest bar where they'd settle their differences over alcohol. However, this was reality: A land of demons and demonic rules where human emotions and ideals did not apply.

"Kill him! Kill him! Don't let him get to the King and Queen!" they screeched and pressed their attack, ripping open wounds, biting at his flesh like a pack of rabid dogs.

Underneath a pile of pixies his resolve tried to remain strong. "I don't want to get to your King and Queen! I just want to go to the spring! PLEASE! This is all just a misunderstanding!"

"For Oberon! For Titania!" The Pixies yelled.

They continued to come at him and he wrestled with himself, his will to remain true to himself and his will to survive clashing within him. He held onto his human side with a brutish tenacity, held himself back.

The opposing Pixies did not see an appeal for peace, only an idiot of an adversary that had foolishly exposed his weak points, a walking Magatsuhi factory that was just asking to be felled and plundered.

Suddenly the tide of battle turned – without Naoki protecting him, the Shikigami on his head was being exposed to hand to hand combat as well. In a matter of seconds, the paper demon was being torn to pieces and the immunity to electricity was fading as well.

"Shiki!" Naoki yelled in panic, grabbing the scraps of paper and shielding him from further harm, but this only made things much, much worse. Without their electric immunity, the Preta and Bill O Wisp were easy targets, only taking a couple of lightning bolts before they dropped, screeching. Desperately, Naoki turned his back on the melee and ran for them to shield them from harm as well.

Behind him, the Pixie on his side began to curse loudly. "Oh blast it all, not again! Screw this, no amount of Magatsuhi is worse this mess!"

Hua Po caught her before she could fly off. "Oh no you don't, Fairy! You're in this until the bitter –" Her stern words were cut off by a small barrage of lightning bolts that forced her to release her grip of the Pixie and fall to the ground, until Naoki lunged a final time and caught them too.

Underneath a swarm of Pixies, Naoki cringed and cowered as he realized what he had done. _I've screwed up. AGAIN. They're all dead. They're all dead because of ME and my own stupidity! I tried to make things better but instead I've made things worse!_

_I'm so useless._

He looked up, took a death breath and screamed, voicing his frustrations on the situation with a string of obscenities.

A second later he was staring at the sky in stunned disbelief – along with the swearing, he had unleashed a blast of freezing ice from his mouth. He was so shocked that he came close to falling flat on his face and squashing the demons underneath him.

_WHAT THE HELL!_

Beneath him, the one Pixie on his side glared up at him from when he'd jumped on top of her. "Hey! Watch where you're – " her voice trailed off when she realized where the ice came from.. "But. . . but that's not. . . that's impossible!"

In stunned disbelief he snapped his mouth shut at the blast of ice dissipated, but when he opened his mouth again it came back. It shouldn't have been possible but it was happening anyway. He was spewing ice out of his mouth just like a dragon breathing fire.

There was no time to wonder about this stunning development. He'd figure everything out as soon as it was safe. Right now, he had to make up for his mistake and save his friends. He went berserk, pushed the Pixies covering his body off and flung his fists through the air, blowing ice at the Pixies that managed to get out of the way, sending Pixie-cles falling to the ground, which he then punted at the other Pixies like soccer balls. As he fought, he realized that something else had happened. With a single glance, he could now tell the type of demon he was facing, its weak points, its different abilities, its strengths. . .for example, Naoki could see right now that these Pixie demons were much weaker than him and they could resist lightning. They had no such resistances against ice.

When the battle ended, Naoki was barely able to blow out air, let alone ice, and his eyes ached terribly, even the one he could still see clearly out of. Mist blew out of his nostrils and mouth every time he panted. He was covered in wounds, his markings gone to red, while the rest of him was black with the blood both the enemy and himself. Around him, his exhausted allies staggered to their feet, whimpering in pain and sighing as they realized they lacked the ability to heal themselves. But the battle was over and they were victorious.

Naoki didn't care. He turned to his demons, intent on taking them to the healing spring as quickly as possible, but the words died in his throat when he realized what they were doing. His allies had erupted into delighted cheers of victory, closely followed by them swarming to the fallen demons. Naoki stared in surprise, but then his blood ran cold as he realized that they were _eating_ the fallen Pixies.

Eating them. Perhaps to devour their Magatsuhi in a more practical manner. And what was worse than this was that Naoki himself momentarily found himself with an insatiable urge to do the exact same.

The enormous reality of what he'd done hit him like a thousand tons of bricks, forcing him to his knees with a whimper and a strangled sob as he stared down at his bloody hands.

Pixie glanced at him as he crashed, sighed in impatience. "What, again?"

_Oh god. What have I become!_

For a long time he simply sat there, swaying slightly in his mental torment, his head bowed as he struggled to comprehend what he had done and why he had done it. More than that however, was the undeniable fact staring at him in the face:

_I'm on my own The world has ended and it doesn't matter whether it's a revelation from God or a curse of the Devil. Hikawa called upon a divine light, but instead devastation has ensued, with chaos crawling out of the depths of the oceans and rising from a black abyss. God has abandoned me – there is nothing but death in this world. Death, upon death upon death._

_Who can I pray to in this god forsaken place? There are only devils and demons here. _

Tears began to fall from his eyes and despite everything he couldn't help but smirk slightly in his depression.

_Huh. So Devils can cry after all._

He didn't know how long he stay there, as he had no way of keeping time. But when he finally lifted his head, he saw his demonic allies still feasting on the dead Pixies, cheering and laughing.

"Wooh yeah!" Pixie cheered, doing somersaults in midair with a wide grin on her face, blood dripping down her front. "Great Party!"

Hua Po shared in the cheering. "No kidding! This is totally awesome!"

"EAT! EAT!" The Preta stuffed its face as fast as it could, shovelling up Pixie corpses as fast as it could.

"Maagatsuhi!" Kodama added, looking up from his own snack. "Look, look! They crunch when you bite them!" He showed off this discovery by biting down on a Pixie's arms and listening to the crunch it made as the bones were broken.

"I know!" Pixie laughed. "Isn't it cool?"

"Yeesss. . ." Bill O the Wisp chortled. "Much. . . fun!"

Shiki snorted, an amputated Pixie leg sticking out of his mouth. "Don't hog all the Magatsuhi for yourself – Naoki was the one who did most of the work!" He turned to the half human boy still curled up on the ground. "Are you sure you're not going to join in, Naoki?"

"Oh, forget about him!" Pixie scoffed in between scoffing on her meal. "Look at the guy – he's too busy going into a foetal position to eat!"

"How. . . "

"Hmm?" Pixie looked up from her meal. "You say something, Pervert?"

Naoki looked back at her from his position against the wall. "How. . .how could you do it?" He asked her through dry lips. "How could you kill them?"

". . .Huh?" Pixie was confused. "Oh! You mean the Pixies back there! You want to learn my super secret killing techniques?" she chortled to the other demons. "You see that? He likes my style!

"Fairy. . ." Shiki sighed. "I don't think that's what he meant."

Naoki spoke again, still trying to raise his voice but too tired to shout. "You. . . . you slaughtered them like they were nothing. Why? Why did you do it?"

Pixie turned to him and shrugged. "It was fun. And they were in our way."

Naoki gasped. "But they were Pixies!"

"So what? I'm a Pixie. What's your problem? Are you racist or something?"

"Your own kind! You killed your own kind!"

Pixie still didn't understand. "Yeah, I did. And now I'm eating my own kind. Now, if you don't have anything useful to say, then shut up and let me finish my meal!"

"You . .. you. . . " He trembled in his fury and his outrage, unable to believe that anybody could be so evil. In this world, he had struggled to find something to cling to – with his faith destroyed, his friends missing and his beloved teacher nowhere to be found, he had unconsciously gone to the next best thing – his demonic allies. As demons went, they'd been relatively friendly, so he'd defended them, tried to befriend them. But it wasn't working.

"What's he going on about?" Kodama asked Hua Po behind them as they eavesdropped on the conversation.

Hua Po shrugged her shoulders. "Not a clue. Something stupid, probably. You got any ideas, Shiki?"

Shikigami nodded. "He's suffering culture shock. Don't worry, he'll get over it soon."

* * *

><p>Eventually, the demons finished their meal, a meal Naoki didn't partake in, spending the entire time on the ground. However, when the demons got up to head to the spring, they found Naoki trotting behind them, his eyes glassy. It was though he was in some sort of trance.<p>

A trance that he snapped out of quite violently when a demon appeared from out of nowhere. He quite literally froze in mid step, stared at the demon in stunned disbelief for a few seconds. . .

Then yelped and shot his hand up to his face. _MY EYES! MY EYES!_

"Yo, pretty girls!" The demon greeted the two fairies, completely ignoring the male members of the party.

Hua Po's eyes glittered. "Hehehehe, he called me pretty."

"No he didn't!" Pixie retorted. "He was calling ME pretty! "

"Awww, don't fight over me!" the demon told them. "Don't worry ladies, there's enough of me to go around."

"Yes, we can see that!" Pixie giggled.. "We're headed for the healing spring. Care. .. " she winked seductively. "Care to join us?"

Naoki found himself unable to speak, instead tried to communicate telepathically to the demon. _Don't join us don't join us don't join us don't join us. . ._

Stunningly enough, it worked as the demon finally noticed the males in the party. "Oooh, you've already got company, huh? Ha, sorry – I've already washed myself. . .thoroughly. But man, you guys are in for a treat! The chick who presides over it? Oh MAAAN She is HOT!"

He waved goodbye and vanished off to somewhere. The two fairies sighed blissfully, their eyes sparkling. Their good mood was swiftly snapped by the sight of Naoki back on the ground, his good hand covering both eyes, his face beet red.

"Oh for crying out. . . " Pixie snarled. "What is it NOW?"

"Is something wrong, Naoki?" Shikigami asked him.

Nervously, Naoki opened his eye. "Is he gone?"

"Incubus? Yeah, he just left," Pixie answered him. "Why, what's the matter? Feeling . .. inadequate?"

Naoki waved his hands around like a windmill as he struggled to tell her the trouble. "No, no! It's just that, well. . . " _It's just that his PENIS is taller than the rest of him and he's naked in front of a group of children . . . _"I'm just glad that I'm not going to be in a healing spring. . .with him. At the same time."

"Ah," Pixie understood, or at least thought she did.

"I don't understand," Kodama spoke. "What's the problem?"

Bill O Wisp gave him a headbutt. "Gruah. . . not. . .now. . . wait. . until . . .older."

* * *

><p>The problems only increased further when they finally arrived at the spring. Naoki had took one look at the healer who had claimed the spring and freaked right out.<p>

"You know. . ." Hua Po whispered to Pixie suddenly. "For the legendary Hito-Shura, that Naoki guy sure acts weird"

Pixie glanced at Naoki as he crouched down on the ground, his hand cover his eyes as he turned his back to them, his face as red as his markings. "Tell me about it."

"Is this culture shock again?" Kodama asked Shikigami.

The paper demon nodded. "Afraid so."

To the demons, turning red and curling into a ball was a very odd behaviour to perform, although they were starting to become used to seeing it.

To Naoki, turning red and curling into a ball was a perfectly reasonable response to seeing a pretty and voluptuous lady who was also completely naked.

_First that Incubus Demon, and now THIS! This truly is a land of complete depravity!_

Behind him, the demons were arguing about something.

Pixie spoke. "So, what do you think?"

Shiki thought for a moment. ". . .no."

"Not even with the Hito-Shura?" Hua Po sounded disappointed.

"If he agreed. . ." Shiki thought for another moment. "Then perhaps. But I don't think he will agree."

"Bah. Fine, whatever." Pixie turned back to face the healer. "Alright, we'll pay your stupid fee!"

She, very reluctantly, handed over the money – a single coin with 1 written on it. It was a special discount due to their ally being the Hito Shura, but it was still, in Pixie's opinion, highway robbery.

"Thank you for the payment," The healer smiled graciously at the girl who scowled back. "The spring is now available to use. Please use it one at at a –"

"COABUNGA"! Kodama shouted, flying into the air and diving headfirst into the spring as though it were a swimming pool.

"Idiot!" Hua Po yelled. "The spring's only a meter deep!"

"It's okay!" Kodama yelled as he resurfaced from a splash fifty times larger than it should have been. "The spring healed my broken neck!" He splashed about, giggling. "Come on in, Hua! The water's fine!"

"Oh, fine! I can make a better splash than you! BUNGIE!" She flew high into the air, then dove – straight into the Preta's wide open mouth.

"Want eat!" The Preta said jubilantly.

". .. oops."

The healing spring quickly became a frenzied free for all as all of the demons leaped in simultaneously, fully clothed, much to the outrage of the healer. As they entered the water, their wounds instantly closed, their magic powers instantly replenished – even their clothes were instantly repaired. Oh, and they got pretty clean whilst they were at it. Hua Po, Pixie and Kodama got into a splashing war, Preta nearly choked on all the water, Bill floated contentedly along with Shikigami, and Naoki . . .

He was sitting away from the spring, taking no part in the water. Shikigami took a glance in Naoki's direction and sighed, having guessed at the problem. It was stupid, yes, but he still understood, because he'd experienced something very similar . .. so long ago. Although humans and demons were alike in many ways, they differed drastically in others. The paper demon became perilously close to losing himself in the memories of millennia past, but Pixie pulled him out of it at the last question by firing a question at Naoki that caused Shiki to look up in surprise.

"Oh, right I almost forgot. Hey, Pervert, what's the deal with that Magatama of yours?"

"What – this?" Naoki grabbed his horn self consciously. "You only noticed it now? It's always been there." _Well, since I was turned into a demon._

"I know that! I want to know what type it is!"

"Oh. Uh. . ." he wracked his brain for a moment. "I think. . .Ms. Takao said something about it being a Marogoreh. Err, whatever that is."

"Well, the cow obviously lied," Pixie said flippantly.

It was probably meant as an offhanded remark, but Naoki took it as an insult. He stood up, turned around, glared. "Do NOT say that again," he hissed.

_Well, well. The Pervert's got a girlfriend_. Pixie filed this information for later blackmail as she looked him up and down in irritation. "Oh, don't cause a scene. I only meant that it shouldn't be able to give you the ability to breathe ice out of your nose."

The other demons stopped their splashing and glanced over at Naoki in surprise. "He can breath ice?"

Kodama blinked. "But I thought the Maro. . . Marogor. . . I thought it only gave you physical attacks."

"It does," Shiki nodded. "Are you sure you saw correctly, Fairy?

"OF course I did! I'm not blind or stupid, like some people. . ." she pointed at Naoki. "I know what I saw. He opened his mouth, blue stuff came out and the demons it hit turned into demonicicles.. No doubt about it – it was an Ice Breath spell to me."

"Listen," Hua Po said suddenly after thinking for a moment "He ate Forneus' Magatsuhi, and Forneus is – err, was – a user of ice based spells. Do you think that maybe .. . "

They began to whisper to each other, resulting in Naoki only catching fragments of the conversation.

"Well it is THAT Magatama. . ."

"So he really IS the . . . "

"You remember what HE said. . ."

"We have to . . ."

_What are they talking about? _Naoki wondered.

Finally, Pixie shrugged, turned to Naoki and splashed at him. "Congratulations, Pervert," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're no longer useless in a battle!"

Naoki didn't know whether to be overjoyed by this news or not. _I'm now able to perform sorcery and witchcraft. Hooray. My foster family would be so proud._

_Not._

"Ha! Says the demon who didn't lift a finger against the Zhens!" Hua Po mocked.

Pixie snorted. "At least I'm not sitting by the spring like a hypocirite!" She shouted at the aforementioned idiot. "What, the water's not good enough for you?"

"No. .. " Naoki paused for a moment. "I just don't feel like going in." There was just something. . . _awkward_ about sharing a healing spring with a pair of prepubescent girls. Even if they WERE demons and fully clothed. It was just wrong.

"Huh. Well, suit yourself!" She splashed some water at him, then went back to swimming.

"Stop that, Fairy," Shikigami grumbled. "Let me talk to him."

The paper demon came out of the water and went over to sit by his shoulder. "Naoki," He said. "Hold onto my tail, I will guide you to the water. You may keep your eyes closed if you wish."

Naoki glanced up and turned to Shiki, stunned. "You'd. . . you'd do that?"

Shiki nodded. "I shall."

The rest of the demons stared in stunned disbelief at the near farcical situation – Naoki got up, his eyes shut – one eye shut deliberately, the other forced shut by dried blood - and gripped Shikigami's tail with his hand. The paper demon nodded to him, them carefully led Naoki over to the water.

"Watch your step," he warned as they neared the edge.

Naoki nodded and slowly climbed into the water, his eyes still closed.

"You are facing away from her now," Shiki told him. "You can open your eyes."

Naoki opened his eyes nervously, found himself facing away from his demonic allies. More importantly, however, the healer was nowhere to be seen.

_Thank goodness for that._

Naoki sighed at his own ineptitude. "Thanks Shiki. I'm sorry about. . .about that."

"Great," Pixie snorted. "Now he's apologizing AND thanking us in the same sentence."

"Don't worry about it," Shiki replied. "I understand."

"Good," Hua Po muttered. "At least somebody does."

The water felt good on Naoki's body as he finally got around to rubbing the blood off his face. It was already healing him as well, turning his red markings back to blue. He continued to face away from the others, washing himself as fast as he could so that he could get back out.

Pixie was mystified by Naoki's actions. "Just WHAT was that all about? What ARE you doing, Pervert?"

Shiki answered for him. "He's washing his face, in case you didn't notice. You tend to do that when you're in a spring." He turned to examine Pixie closer. "Why do you keep calling him that, anyway?"

The Pixie smiled. "Simple. Because he hates being called that." She stretched out in the pool. "Well guys, I'm clean. Hurry up, slowpokes, so we can get going again!"

Hua Po raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I thought you said you were going to go see Oberon and Titania and join in on their wild orgies," She paused for a moment to watch Naoki fall over and land on his side, splashing and making a strange squealing noise. "You've been whinging about your stupid party ever since we thawed you out."

"Yeah well, that what I was PLANNING on," Pixie sighed, "but a certain demon absolutely sucks at being an escort so we got here too late. So now he's going to be my bodyguard to make up for it!"

Naoki blinked. "I am?"

The other demons blinked. "He Is?"

The Preta gurgled something that may have been his usual "Want Eat" but it was rendered incomprehensible by the fact the purple demon was underwater at the time.

"You mean to tell me that we'll have to put up with you for even longer?" Shiki whinged.

Pixie glared. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Simple. We don't like you," Hua Po told her bluntly. "We brought you here in the hope of being rid of you as fast as demonly possible."

"No, we don't like you!" Kodama parroted.

Pixie scoffed. "That's no way to treat the person who was nice enough to pay for healing for you weaklings! The only reason the lot of you are not dead is solely because of ME!"

"SAY WHAT?" Hua Po growled. "You didn't help us! You just sat on your arse and slept! You're the one who's WEAK!"

"Oh, yeah, cherry skin?" Pixie growled back. "

"Want -" the Preta began, but was quickly silenced by Bill O Wisp. "Gruahh.. . quiet," the skull warned him. "They. . .mad.. . we not. . .get . . .involved. . ."

This proved to be good advice. Hua Po leaped out of the water, sending splashes everywhere, as she flew across the spring and grabbed her brown haired counterpart by the neck. "How dare you!"

The other demons quickly got out of the way as the two fairies began to trade insults. The insults quickly changed to glares, then magical spells, then finally a full blown out battle. Alarmed by the shouting, Naoki stopped washing his face and looked up. Before his startled eyes, he saw the two demon fairies beating the tar out of each other, each strangling and drowning and just plain trying to murder the other.

"Kill her! Kill her!" Kodama cheered, barracking for Hua Po.

Naoki's face paled. "H-hey. . .Stop that!"

Both demons ignored him. Naoki took a single, hesitating step forward. That step quickly turned first into a trot, then finally into a full blown run as he waded through the spring, then grabbed each fairy by the waist and physically separated them.

"Stop that!" He yelled again.

'The hell are you doing, Pervert!" Pixie yelled as she flailed, the wounds from several bites and scratches already closing up. "LET GO!" She bit Naoki on the wrist in an attempt to make him drop her.

It didn't work. The water had healed him completely the moment he'd got in, splashing water on to his injured arm and making it usable again, but he didn't care about this miracle. All he knew was that the two demons were hurting each other and he didn't like it and he refused to let the two demons go, even when they began turning their magical powers upon him.

"OUT! OUT!" The healer began yelling. "This is a sacred spring, not a swimming pool! Everybody out!" Before Naoki knew what was happening, his vision began to swim. . .

Then he was suddenly back outside the spring, in the same area as the Pixie corpses, still holding the two fairies, one in each hand.

"Wha – what happened?" he said, looking around in surprise.

"We were teleported out, " Shikigami sighed. "For bad behaviour."

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Pixie yelled at Naoki as she struggled in his grip.

"I've had it with you!" Hua Po yelled back at her from the other hand. "You sit on your arse all the time, you mock us at every opportunity, you -"

"STOP IT!" Naoki roared, angry now, the Magatama in his head springing to life and calling for blood. He slammed his hands together, sending both fairies crashing into each other. They fell from his hands with fractured skulls and bleeding faces. "STOP FIGHTING I SAID!"

Almost instantly he was regretting his actions. "I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –"

His faced paled as he realized what had happened, the two fairies staring up at him in disbelief. He took a step back, shaking, unable to lookat them. He spun around, his back to the two fairies as Kodama came running to the older Jirae.

Finally, Naoki spoke again, but his voice was flat. "I'm going back to Shibuya – I think I remember the way. "

He was answered only by silence. Naoki sighed inwardly as he began walking.

_What was I thinking, trying to make friends out of DEMONS?_

_I'm out of my freaking mind._


	14. Clashes

Chapter 13: Clashes

In the end, all his demonic allies ended up coming after him again. First was Preta, chewing on Bill O Wisp. Indeed – the purple people eater had never truly left him, but had come trotting several steps behind. Later, the three members of Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team arrived – Shiki in the lead, Hua Po and Kodama trailing behind him.

Naoki hadn't known exactly what to say – what could he say after how he had acted? He'd glanced at Hua Po, expecting to see exactly what he wanted to see – outrage, hatred, terror.

Instead, she smiled at him, her eyes almost. . .adoring? And she spoke. "That was a pretty neat trick you pulled back there! Didn't know you had it in you!"

There was no sarcasm in her voice – not that Naoki had ever been very good at detecting it. The reaction on his face said it all. Eyes wide, mouth open, fixing her with a look of complete astonishment.

_WHAT? _

He was too shocked to say anything.

"Let's be off, Naoki," Shikigami told him. "The Pixie will heal herself soon and come after us, so we'd better hurry to Shibuya."

That got his mouth working. He whirled to stare at Shikigami in horror. "What – you mean you just. . . left her there? With a broken skull? Without healing her?"

Shikigami blinked. "She has healing powers of her own. And she is not of the Jirae Clan."

Naoki glared. "Who cares? You left her injured!"

Kodama blanched, his entire body turning white. "I am NOT touching that icky fairy ever again!" He shuddered. "She probably gave me cooties."

Naoki turned, to run back in the direction he had come.

"Gruaaaah. . ." Bill O Wisp moaned, having escaped from the Preta. "Where. . . you . . .go. . . ing?"

"Back to Yoyogi Park!" Naoki yelled behind him before disappearing into the distance.

"Waaaant Eat!" The Preta yelled, galloping after him.

Hua Po sighed and looked around at the other demons – Bill, Shiki, Kodama. None of the others wanted to say it. . . but she could tell that they were all thinking the same thing. "Alright – this is probably blasphemy. . . but is Lord Lucifer out of his mind!"

"His choice of Hito Shura is .. . " Shiki hesitated for a moment. ". . .admittedly questionable."

"Questionable? The guy's a freaking wimp!"

"He's a smelly human, through and through!" Kodama spoke in a sing song voice.

"Gruaah .. . he . . .strong. . . " Bill tried to defend the absent Naoki Kashima.

"Yeah, maybe," Hua Po frowned. "But the only reason he's strong is because of his Magatama. Without that thing, he's nothing. And even with it, he's only slightly above nothing!"

She sighed, kicked a pebble on the ground. That didn't vent her frustrations at all, so she went all out and threw an Agi spell, blowing the pebble to smithereens.. "Ah, DEVIL! Why did we have to be the ones to baby sit this guy!"

"Yeah!" Kodama whinged.

It was Bill who pointed out her hypocrisy. "Gruah . .. you an. . . swered. . . . own . . .. quest. . . . ion…."

Hua Po snarled. "Yeah, I know, I know, I was there when He gave the order, I'm just wishing I wasn't."

"Our personal wishes on this matter are unimportant," Shiki told her. "We have been given the charge of guiding the Hito-Shura on his destiny and we will follow this order to the letter."

"I know, I know!" Hua Po snarled again. "Let's just get this over with.. Lead the way back to Yoyogi Park, Paper Boy." The snarl was instantly gone from her voice. "Oh Blast that Pixie! Now I'm starting to speak like her!"

Shiki nodded. "Fortunately, I do not believe I will need to lead us anywhere." He indicated with his tail past them, in the direction of Yoyogi Park.

Sure enough, Naoki reappeared, looking miserable, followed shortly by the Preta. He jogged up to the assembled demons and sighed.

"She wasn't there."

Kodama cheered. "She's dead! She's dead!" As Naoki stared on, the little Jirae suddenly broke into . .. song? "Ding dong, the Pixie's dead! Which old Pixie?"

Hua Po joined in. "The stupid Pixie! Ding, dong, the stupid Pixie's dead!"

"Your singing is atrocious and off key," Shiki critiqued, but his criticism went unheard as Bill O Wisp started singing along.

"Gruaah. . . she's . . . gone . . .where. . . the . . . de. . . mons. . . go . . .be. . . "

". . . low! Below, below, below Yo ho!"

" Let's open up and sing!

"And ring the bells out –"

"Stop that!" Naoki yelled.

Even the Preta joined in, singing "Want Eat! The merriyo!" to the tune of the other demons' song.

Finally Shikigami sighed. "Oh, what the heck " He began to sing in a completely deadpan voice. "Singing high, singing low."

"Let them know, the stupid Pixie's deaaaaaaaad!" They all sang as one, the Preta adding an extra "Want Eat!" at the end.

Naoki could only look on in disgust and disbelief. _They're singing. I'm seeing a choir of evil demons singing._ It would have been absolutely hilarious if not for the situation.

After their song had finished, the rest of the journey was made in complete silence.

* * *

><p>Finally, when they arrived at Shibuya, they were most surprised to find somebody waiting for them.<p>

"Hey guys! You sure took your time!"

Naoki stared, a look of pure relief on his face. "You . .. you're alright?"

The other demons on his team stared as well, though the looks on their face were no way near as positive. "She's alright!"

"Yes I am!" Pixie snarled at them. "No thanks to you lot!"

She was at the entrance to Shibuya, tapping her foot impatiently, Jack Frost by her side.

Naoki opened his mouth to speak. "I'm – I'm sorry. Please forgive –'

But he was just as quickly cut off by the irate members of the Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team.

"And just WHAT are you doing here?" Shiki asked angrily.

"You mean as opposed to lying dead in Yoyogi Park?" She snorted. "That was no way to treat an ally! And I thought we were friends Pervert!"

"AN ALLY!" Hua Po roared, fire blazing in her eyes and fists. She looked as though she was about to rush towards the Pixie and continue the battle where they left off.

Naoki ignored the two fairies – he'd learned to stay out of their petty squabbles. Instead, he turned to Jack. "How's Chiaki? Is she okay?"

The two demons looked at each other, then shrugged their shoulders.

Naoki frowned, suddenly got a terribly bad feeling. "What does THAT mean?"

"He. . .ho. . ." The Jack Frost said nervously., "She.. . she woke up, he ho. . ."

"And?" Naoki growled.

"Well, she didn't want to stay still, he ho. . . she wanted to see the sights. . ."

"Where. Is. She." Naoki growled, baring his teeth.

"Who knows?" Pixie shrugged. "Who cares? She woke up, kicked Jack here in the snowballs and ran off. We let her leave."

"WHAT?" Naoki yelled.

"He ho. . ." Jack said nervously.

"You can't 'he ho' your way out of this!" Kodama teased.

Pixie shrugged. "Oh, don't throw a fit. Hey, she's probably still hanging around.. Go find her yourself."

"You . . ." Naoki snarled, before Shikigami interrupted.

"Naoki – she's a human. I can sense her in the Shibuya Underground Club."

"Ooh, really?," Pixie snorted. "THAT could be a problem. .. lots of unsavoury types there. . . hot human all on her own like that. . . never know what things she may get up too.. . "

Naoki had heard enough. He grabbed the two demons and threw them out of the way, then went charging off into the underground, the Preta following hot on his heels. "CHIAKI!" He roared.

"Want EAAT!" the Preta yelled behind him.

Left alone again, the demons glanced at each other. "We have to follow him, don't we," Kodama muttered.

Shiki sighed. "Yes, we do."

Pixie grinned. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go get him!"

Shiki whirled to fix her a death glare. "WE will follow him. YOU . . " he pointed at the Pixie, " .. . will stay HERE. Out of trouble. Or I may 'accidentally' Zio you."

He turned to the other demons. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Within the Disco Club, things were pumping. With some help from one of the demons, they had managed to reanimate a disk jockey zombie who was willing enough to help them out, which enabled them to play things much more up tempo. Now the volume was turned up to eleven.<p>

"I really don't like this music," Setanta frowned as he watched his partner dance.

"Rrrrrreally?" his partner said back, with an almost feline drawl. "What music do you preferrrrrr?"

Setanta shrugged. "Me? Oh, I prefer River dance."

His partner sighed. "Figurrrrrrres." She scratched her chin -with a back foot and meowed. "Oh, wait – I think something's –"

The two demons turned to entrance as the doors came bursting open and a HUMAN, of all things, barged into the room.

It was Chiaki Hayasaka, wide awake and pissed off when she opened her eyes to find a blue and white snowman staring down at her. A long argument followed in which the snowman babbled something and Chiaki couldn't make heads or tails of it, after which she'd left the freak behind and run through the underground until she ended up HERE. In a room full of freaks.

She was so outraged, she began to yell loudly. "HEY! What is this!"

Her voice was loud, but it wasn't loud enough to be heard over the music. This only made her even angrier.

"I'm speaking! Listen to me!"

Still no response. She looked around, spotted a tall man with a scarf, leaning against the wall and holding an absolutely enormous spear.

"YOU!" She yelled at him, causing the man to turn towards her in surprise. She pointed at his spear. "GIVE ME THAT!"

Seatanta blinked. "Eh – what? Hey, wait a minute, you can't just –"

Chiaki had no idea what he was saying – it sounded Irish, but she didn't understand a word of it and decided it was therefore unimportant. When he hadn't immediately complied, Chiaki simply went over and grabbed it.

"Hey, wait!" Setanta yelped. "Give that back!"

"Speak Japanese!" Chiaki yelled, then grabbed the spear in both hands, lifting it off the ground through rage alone. Her target was clear. Holding the spear as though it were a battering ram, she charged forward, Setanta yelping behind her.

Several of the demons saw this and burst out laughing. _That human girl has big Balls of Steel. _ But their laughing quickly turned to horror as they realized where she was aiming. _No, not that – anything but –_

With a screech of rage, Chiaki had buried the spear into the stereo sound system. Sparks crackled, then the electronics equipment exploded and the room was completely silent.

Well, silent except for the outraged snarls of an entire disco club full of demons. They were all thinking one thing.

"Alright!" Chiaki yelled, gripping the spear with both hands angrily, now that she had the attention of everybody, demons and ghosts alike. "Answer me! Who are you and what have you done to the world!"

The entire club was instantly filled with demonic growls, yells and curses that Chiaki couldn't make sense of.

"I haven't done anything to the world!" Setanta whinged. "Now give me back my spear!"

Chiaki whirled, saw the guy with the scarf, glared at him. Frustrated with the situation, she turned around, summoned every last bit of strength she had and clouted him upside the head with his own spear. "NO! Not until someone gives me some answers!"

"Meow, meow! I know!" called one demon, meowing like a cat. As Chiaki turned to glare at this new source of irritation, she was surprised to find that it really WAS a cat – a bipedal cat with distinctly human features yes, but a cat nonetheless. With a forked tail. And it was speaking Japanese.

_A Nekomata, _Chiaki realized. She'd heard of them before – her family bred purebred Japanese Bob tails, cats with the distinctive tri colour Mi-Ke pattern. Like the name of the breed suggested, these cats did indeed have bobtails. Every once in a while, however, a kitten would be born with an ordinary tail.

It should have been impossible – they had a breeding line of the highest pedigree! But yet it happened – out would come a little kitten with an especially long tail, long even by most cat breed standards. When this happened, the kitten would be drowned immediately, for fear that it would grow into a cat monster. If the tail grew to a certain length, it was said, the tail would split in two, becoming a forked tail, and the cat would then gain demonic powers and abilities.

Chiaki hadn't really believed the legends until they were standing in front of her. She gripped her separ tighter. "You know, do you? Then tell me, demon!"

"Meow!" said the Nekomata, purring evilly. "I have an idea! If you do something. . . naughty with me, I'll tell you! What do you think of that?"

"Do you think I'm a fool!" Chiaki thundered, swinging her spear around, aiming it at the cat demon'. "Don't play games with me!"

"Reowl? You want me to be honest? I think you're a scaredy cat!" The cat demon purred at her. "Look at you, human. I can smell your fear."

Chiaki stared in outrage. "You . . ." HOW DARE YOU!" She swung her spear, aiming the point straight for the cat's throat. "How DARE you call me a coward!"

"Meow, meow!" Nekomata taunted.

With an outraged squeal, Chiaki rammed the spear forward as hard as she could – only to be stunned when the cat's clawed hand suddenly moved and caught the spear, stopping it cold. For a few moments the two struggled, but then the Nekomata gave a very audible hiss.

"I let you live only because you were amusing, human!" The cat growled. "But now you're starting to IRRRITATE ME!"

"Don't break my spear, Neko!" Setanta yelped.

Nekomata snarled as she unsheathed her claws – claws the size of daggers – and spoke in the demonic tongue. "It's not the spear I'm planning to BREAK!"

Chiaki trembled, gritting her teeth. "You. . . stay away from me! I order you!" She was afraid now, she had to admit, as the Nekomata disarmed her of her weapon and flung it to one side, where it was hastily retrieved by the boy with the scarf.

But that was the least of her problems, as the Nekomata gave her a backhand slap that flung her clear to the other side of the room, her head spinning.

From somewhere there came a scream of pure rage then the sound of footsteps.

Chiaki staggered to her feet with difficulty, breathing hard, bleeding slightly – only to find herself face to face with yet another freak who had kneeled before her in concern. He looked her over for a second, then turned to face the two demons, growling in anger, the strange blue markings on his body blazing in his rage, his teeth bared. He roared something at the demon, speaking in some strange language.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY FRIEND!"

His voice was slightly familiar, but Chiaki couldn't place where she'd heard it before.

The Nekomata hissed something back. "What's the matterrrrrrr, big boy? This human with you?"

The boy with the scarf picked up his spear and left the underground, still holding his head. "Darn. . .I thought this place was supposed to be neutral. . .Ouch, my head…!"

The boy with the markings took a step forward, her hands clutched into her fists. "You .. . you'll pay for what you just did. . .You'll PAY!"

It seemed to be a negotiation. They also seemed to be ignoring her, Chiaki didn't like to be ignored.

"HEY!" she yelled at the two of them. "Don't just ignore me!"

For some reason, the negotiation failed - the cat lunged, claws extended. The other demon yelled, caught the cat with one hand, then swung his fist directly into the her face with a feral yell.

"MROWWWWR!"

In front of Chiaki's startled eyes, the Nekomata staggered back, her face punched so hard it had actually caved in from the blow. She reached her hands up to cover her face, only for the other demon to snarl in anger and hit her again.

The cat girl whimpered. "Okay, okay. . .I'm sorry. .. I –"

"I DON'T CARE!"

Chiaki stared, watching the demon with the markings punch the cat over and over again, snarling like a wild beast. He only stopped when a little purple monster came in and stood on top of the cat, waving its arms.

"Want Eat!" the demon yelled. "No hit, no hit!"

Chiaki didn't know what the purple demon had just said, but it seemed to have an effect – the boy with the markings stopped attacking, looked up at all the demons nearby. . . realized that now would be a good time to leave. He picked up the purple demon as it began to chew at the badly wounded cat demon on the ground, then turned to Chiaki.

The two of them looked at each other for a few seconds. Then the boy with the markings spoke - in Japanese this time.

"Let's go!" He reached out a hand and grabbed her.

Chiaki recoiled, slapped his hand away with her own. "Why should I? Who are you!"

"There's no time to explain. Follow me, Chiaki!" the newcomer shouted, causing her eyes to widen in surprise even as he began to drag her across the room in his haste to leave.

Still, Chiaki hesitated. She needed answers. "You – how do you –"

"Hurry!: There was no time for hesitations - he scooped her up in one arm as though she were weightless, blood smearing her clothes, then carried her bridal style through the underground as the other demons shouted insults after them.

It was only later, when they were standing in an Adult Entertainment Shop and she was surrounded by a variety of monsters from flying girls to purple monsters to the snowman from before, that she finally realized that her mysterious saviour was none other than Naoki Kashima, the door mat of the class no longer.

* * *

><p>"How should I act at a time like this?" Chiaki wanted to know. "Should I be happy? Glad that we're both okay?"<p>

She was standing in the center of the room, still breathing hard from exertion. Her feet ached – her shoes were designed more for fashion than practicality – and her head was still spinning from when she'd been hit by the Nekomata. She was also not particularly fit, coming from a lifestyle in which she was driven everywhere, which had made the mad rush from one end of Shibuya's underground to the other that much harder.

Despite this, she still couldn't help feeling perturbed by the fact Naoki Kashima, the boy who had always come dead last in all races and sports – even behind the slowest of the girls, had ran the entire distance without breaking a sweat or even heavy breathing. This was despite the fact that he'd also had to carry her the entire way.

Now the two of them were staring at each other, she in the middle of an adult entertainment store, he hovering near the entrance but not actually coming in. Around her were a variety of monsters that seemed to be keeping quiet for the moment, although they had been chattering in an unknown language when Naoki and she had first arrived. Naoki had spoken to them in that same language as well.

Finally, Naoki spoke to her. "Chiaki. .. " The words caught in his throat. Her stare caused him to forget what he was about to say, caused his mind to go blank.

_How exactly do I say this? _

_Tell the truth._

He lubricated his mouth with saliva and tried again. "Chiaki – um. . .I don't know how to tell you this, but –"

She raised a hand to indicate him to be quiet. "It's you, isn't it Naoki. I can tell."

He was covered in glowing blue tattoos and dried blood and his entire physique had changed dramatically, which was why she hadn't initially recognised him. The weedy short kid she had always bossed around was replaced by a boy whose physique would make the sportiest of the class jealous. But the look in his eyes and his mannerisms was pretty much the same as she'd remembered it. He was still the puppy, always eager to please her. Therefore, no matter how different he looked. . . he was still inferior to her.

True to form, his next words were all about her wellbeing. "Chiaki. Did they hurt you? Are you okay?"

Chiaki shook her head and sighed. "My head and my feet hurt the most, but I basically ache all over."

He could still feel the fire that had blazed through him. He had ran to the underground club and arrived just in time to see Chiaki get hit by the Nekomata, a sight which had made him explode with pure fury. Suddenly, all thoughts of peaceful negotiations and polite requests had gone flying out the window and his world had been filled with red. He didn't want to merely injure the Nekomata, he didn't even merely want to kill it. He had wanted to torture it - crush its skull, rip off its arms, tear out its heart. He'd wanted to punch it until there was nothing left but a bloody smear on the ground. He bared his teeth as he remembered that awful moment. He would have gone through with it if not for the Preta stopping him.

_I WILL NOT LET ANYBODY HURT MY FRIENDS!_

But the look of violent rage on Naoki's face was instantly replaced by a look of pure misery as he looked Chiaki over. _I messed up. _"I'm sorry Chiaki. . . none of this is your fault. I should have been faster, I should have –"

One of the demons – brown haired, with blue clothes – said something in demon. "Oh, would you stop that, Pervert!"

Chiaki couldn't understand what was being said, but she assumed it was nasty as Naoki stopped his whinging immediately. That was good – she found his self bashing and his whinging highly irritating.

Another of the demons – blonde, with red skin and white clothes – said something in demon that Chiaki couldn't understand. "The HELL it wasn't her fault! My Satan, she's even more annoying than Pixie is!"

Naoki turned to the demon and snarled something back. "Don't talk about her like that."

He turned back to Chiaki and spoke in Japanese. "It's the sun," he explained. "It burnt your skin – I tried to cover you up with my jacket as best as I could, and Kodama healed your wounds as best he could. .. but I guess it wasn't good enough. I'm sorry."

Chiaki had no patience for Naoki's apologies. All that mattered was that she finally had a source of information to get answers. "What's happened to the world? I fell unconscious at the hospital, and when I woke up no one was around and my cell phone didn't work, so I ran outside for help, and I saw. .."

Her voice trailed off as she remembered the horror of the sight – a scene of desolation and a brightly glowing light that burned her body. She had screamed in horror, fallen to the ground as everything collapsed around her and the world came crashing down. . .

Naoki opened his mouth to speak, moved his mouth up and down but no words came out. He didn't know what to say. How DO you tell somebody the world has ended and you've been transformed into a demon by your teacher who was actually a cultist all along and now you're strong enough to protect her because you met the Devil – all without sounding like a total complete lunatic?

Chiaki's eyes narrowed as Naoki hesitated. "Tell me," she ordered..

Naoki sighed. ". . . You . .. you remember the magazine? How it had written a feature on the Scripture and the . . .the Cults and a . . . a calamity?"

Realization dawned in Chiaki's eyes and her mouth opened wide as the true horror of the situation struck home. "You mean what was written in that magazine actually happened!"

_My friends. My parents. My pets. My teachers. My peers. My family. My life! They're all –_

Naoki closed his eyes in pain – not physical pain, but pain of the soul "Yes."

Chiaki's voice was flat. " . . . I see. "

"I'm sorry, Chiaki."

She shook her head. "No. Don't worry. Nothing phases me anymore. I've realized that no matter how much I cry or shout that this nightmare won't end." She finally composed herself after a long moment lost in thought. "You saw how it was out there, didn't you?'

Naoki nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't even tell were my house used to be."

"When I. . . When I saw the sky falling, I thought I'd gone insane. When I woke up here.. . I seriously thought that I was the only person left alive., "

She stepped forward into his arms. "Hold me."

Naoki blinked, gasped in surprise. But he obeyed – reluctantly returning the hug. The embrace was awkward and uncomfortable for him, but Chiaki didn't seem to notice.

I. . . I'm so glad to see you again, Naoki. Now that I've found you, I realize that. . . that maybe there's still hope." She slipped out of his arms. "There's got to be other survivors, don't you think?"

"Survivors.. . " Naoki nodded. "Yes! Ms. Takao and Isamu and Hikawa and Hijiri!" He quickly told her about how he'd seen the other people, how the last time he'd seen them they were okay. "And maybe there's other people!" He was eager now, hope renewed whin him suddenly.

Chiaki echoed his thoughts, voiced them aloud. "They must be alive. Fate just can't be that cruel, it just can't." She nodded to herself, having made a decision. "I'm not ready to give up entirely. "

She turned to Naoki, looked him up and down. "Tell me something. You just punched a demon in the face so hard that it could talk out the back of its head. How did you get so strong?"

He told her, haltingly. Her eyes widened and he cowered beneath their gaze.

_She knows I'm a monster now. She hates me._

He couldn't know that Chiaki's reaction was more of irritation than repulsion or terror. _Why?_ She asked herself._ Why him? Why HIM? What makes him worthy of this strength? Why is HE the one who got strong?_

_Why did she give the strength to Naoki instead of ME?_

_Such a waste of potential_

Chiaki shrugged. "So, you're a demon, you're strong enough to take care of the demons, and these other demons are your allies?"

Naoki nodded, slowly.

"Good," Chiaki said. "Then you're coming with me while I look for the others."

"Ahahahahaha!" Pixie burst out laughing. "I like this girl!"

"Gruaaah, . . . she. .. . mean . .. " Bill O Wisp whinged.

"She certainly has Naoki eating out of her hand, doesn't she," Shikigami noted.

"Want EAT hand!" The Preta declared.

"Shiki sighed. "That's NOT what I meant."

"I don't mind," Naoki said. "But. . . there's a bit of a problem."

Chiaki frowned. "What?"

"Um. . . " he paused and began to fidget nervously, trying to find a way to tell her without something painful resulting. "I. .. don't know how to tell you this, but.. . "

He told her.

Chiaki stared. "I've been SOLD!"

Jack smiled. "That's right, he ho! I bought you for 5,000 macca, fair and he ho square!"

"She can't understand you, idiot!" Pixie yelled at him.

She was right – Chiaki couldn't understand them, but from the look in the snowman's eyes she got the general idea and she didn't like it. "I didn't agree to be sold! I refuse!" she yelled.

"Oh, shut up!" Pixie told her, fully aware the human couldn't understand her, not caring in the slightest.

Naoki flailed, desperately trying to defuse the bomb that was about to go off. "I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to –"

Chiaki didn't punch him. She merely glared at him. "Fix IT."

"Y-yes, Chiaki," Naoki whimpered. He turned to Jack. "Um. . . can I buy that human back?"

Jack Frost frowned. "She's not for sale, he ho!"

"Besides, pervert," Pixie teased. "You don't have any money! I'm the one who took it all, remember?"

Hua Po glared at her fairy counterpart. "You frigging flying daughter of a –"

Naoki looked at Jack, began to kneel down.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Pixie snorted. _Don't tell me he's going to_ –

He did. He got down on his hands and knees and begged. "Please, Jack. Please, I'll do anything."

"He ho?" Jack Frost blinked. "Weeeeeelll. . . . maybe," the demon thought for a moment, then poked at Naoki. "I want to go on a journey, to be just like the great king, he ho. How about I come with you, mister Hito-Shura?"

Naoki blinked. "Come with us? Uh. . .okay." He turned to Chiaki, translated for her.

She frowned back at him. "Fine. Let him come with us. But first. .. "

She rubbed her stomach, causing Naoki to blink in confusion.

"I'm hungry. Find food."


	15. Judgement

Chapter 14: Judgement

The contrast between Naoki and Chiaki was truly dramatic, Shikigami had to admit as he watched Chiaki take over Naoki's reluctant role as leader. First impressions had Chiaki as a natural leader – she exuded assertiveness and charisma,

In other words: out of the humans Shiki had met thus far in this particular Vortex World, it was she who appeared the logical choice to become the Hito-Shura.

But she wasn't. For whatever reason, the Light Bringer had passed her over. He had seen a critical flaw to her, some sort of vital character trait that Naoki possessed and she didn't.

Offhandedly (although he didn't actually have hands), Shikigami wondered if perhaps that character trait was the ability to be quiet for longer than twenty seconds.

"Kashima! Hurry up!"

"Chiaki. . ." Naoki began.

"I don't want to hear it, Kashima. I gave you an order!"

"But that. . " _is absolutely fucking retarded. How am I supposed to find a shotgun in a place like this?_

Where Naoki's "leadership" could be described as democratic at best, Chiaki's leadership was undoubtedly a dictatorship. Where Naoki was hesitant, Chiaki was assertive. She was a person who knew she could get her own way.

Except that her own way was absolutely stupid and deeply flawed. And this caused a problem.

Why?

Because Chiaki's great plan was to gather all the survivors together by blowing a path through the demon scum using the biggest guns they could find, then taking over Shibuya by force. It would then become an outpost, a place where any and all human survivors could gather. Once enough survivors had gathered, they could work on purging the entirety of Tokyo of all demonic influence.

Everybody stared at her.

The demons blinked.

"Well?" Chiaki asked. "Get to it! Scavenge for anything you can find – weapons, food, clothes, anything!"

Pixie began to chuckle. "A. . . haha. . . this human wants to take over the world!"

Chiaki glared at the fairy. "Do not laugh at me." She looked around at the other demons. "Well, don't just stand there! Do as I ordered, now!"

Naoki trembled. "Um, Chiaki, I think there' s a –"

"Shut up, Kashima!" Chiaki cut him off.

It was too much for the little fairy – she fell to the ground, rolling in laughter. "Ahahahahahahahhahaa! Oh man, I love this human!"

Naoki frowned and yelled at the top of his voice. "NO!" He suddenly found himself the complete center of attention – except for the Preta, still eating. Chiaki was staring at him, open mouthed, whilst the other demons looked on with looks that varied from complete boredom to mild curiosity.

Chiaki turned to him, momentarily shocked that he'd talked back to her. "Is there a problem, Naoki?" She said it with her best glare, a glare that said everything on her mind. _There is no problem because my plan is perfect and I am superior to you._

"Ah. . .. " For a moment his voice wouldn't work – he knew what was about to happen, that Chiaki was about to get unbelievably angry and possibly even throttle him, that he was about to hurt her feelings and make her not like him. But right now that didn't matter, he had to tell Chiaki this, he had to warn her.

"Well, Kashima?"

"Ah. . . it's just that. . .that. . . ." it was hard going at first. . .but then he threw caution to the wind and glared straight at her. "It's just your plan is completely stupid!" Almost instantly he was downcast again. "I'm sorry…" Then he was back, standing straight glaring, looking her in the eye. With his shoulders straight instead of their usual cowering position, Chiaki discovered that he was actually taller than her.

"I can't just leave you here and abandon you to the demons, they'll eat you alive! We cant just simply wage war on all the demons we come across – what about these guys?" He pointed to his demonic allies.

"What about them?" Chiaki grumbled. "Any demons that agree to join us can join if they want – you're strong enough to kill any that don't."

"But I don't' want to kill anybody!" Naoki whinged.

"For a person who doesn't want to kill, Naoki, you did a pretty good job back in the underground. So stop whinging!"

"No! I'm not going to leave you on your own!" He stood his ground. "Chiaki – Ms. Takao said that I gained these powers to protect everyone. You don't understand-"

Chiaki scoffed. "You! Protect ME?"

In the background, Pixie began to laugh even harder. "Oh Satan this human's funny!"

Naoki was adamant. "Yes, me protect you. I'm, not going to let you out of my sight. If we're going to go scavenging and look for people, then we're going to do it together."

She glared at him with a look that could kill the devil himself, then spoke in her most icy tone. "Fine."

* * *

><p>A tremendous explosion of black soot heralded Hijiri and Shiisa's less than graceful arrival in Shibuya, sending the both of them flat on their faces with rip roaring headaches. As they staggered to their feet coughing and spluttering, Hijiri was heard to mutter something angrily to his caninefeline companion.

"I thought they said you knew how to use this thing!"

Shiisa looked back at the human (?) with a pleased expression and barked. "What are you complaining about? We've arrived, safe and sound! Just like I said we would!"

It was as though Hijiri could hear his thoughts. "Don't look so pleased with yourself! It took us eighteen tries to finally get that stupid thing to work – And it was me who did most of the work! You just hung around and barked!"

In answer, Shiisa barked at him again. "I was giving you advice! It's your own fault you weren't paying attention!"

Hijiri shook his head. "Whatever. So tell me – is this place Shibuya? Remember, one bark for yes, two barks for no."

Shiisa barked. "It's Shibuya, all right."

"You're sure of it this time?"

Shiisa barked. "Yes, I'm sure. For real. I'd pinkie swear it, but I have no pinkies."

"Fine, but I'm not taking your word for it. Let's open this door, and then we can –" his voice trailed off as the door was flung open, wide.

"What was that noise?" came an angry shout from outside.

"An enemy!" Shiisa barked, his teeth baring.. "Pika. .. . " He leaped in front of Hijiri and fired a bolt of lightning through the door, far stronger than any the Pixie and Shikigami had thrown before. "CHUUUUUUU!" he yelled, purely for dramatic effect.

There was a startled yell, lots of flashes, a couple of screams of pain. And then the dust cleared . . . to reveal Naoki Kashima charging through the door, his teeth bared and fists readied. Behind him came all the demons from before, plus a Will O Wisp, a Jack Frost, a nice looking human girl. . . and a very singed looking Pixie, coughing out a small wisp of smoke.

"Oops," Shiisa smirked when he realized what he'd done.

"Oh, Don't worry," Shiki told him. "You didn't hit anything important."

"Hijiri. . . is that really you?" Naoki asked. They had been exploring the place, looking for food for Chiaki (aside from Preta, nobody else felt hungry, not even Naoki), So far, their searchings had revealed a variety of items, mostly for demonic use.

Acquiring food, however, had been a fair bit more tricky. A demonic apocalypse had a tendency to do that to you.

The main issue had been the Pretas. They were absolutely everywhere, eating absolutely everything in sight, whether it was edible or not. Worse than that, was the fact that Chiaki was hungry, but not THAT hungry. She refused to eat food that had gone off, was stale, or western.

Finally, through a minor miracle, Naoki had discovered a cache of rice. Raw, short grained white rice.

"Cook it," Chiaki had ordered, not giving them any real information as to just how they were supposed to do that. They were scavenging around, trying to find more information, when they'd heard a colossal crash in the terminal and had been sidetracked.

Hijiri smirked. "Last time I checked, yes it was, You seem quite well, Naoki."

The human girl with the group pointed at him, a frown on her face. "Is that the guy you were talking about?"

Naoki nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Jyoji Hijiri, ace reporter for Ayakashi Monthly, at your service!" He bowed at her. "The pleasure's mine."

Chiaki frowned. "Yes it most definitely is, I read your article."

"Ahhhh…" Hijiri smiled, now understanding what had become of his magazine. He should have known Naoki wouldn't read it. "So? What did you think?"

"Very mediocre," she critiqued. "Horribly written. I only read it because there was nothing else to read."

Hijiri sighed. "Any review is a good review, I guess. But damn, Naoki. . . I really don't know what to say! Did you actually come here, all by yourself, on foot!"

Naoki fidgeted. "Well, I wasn't exactly alone. .. I had allies." He pointed to his little band of demons. "I couldn't have come here without them."

"I'm not so sure about that," Hijiri told him. "Look at you – you're even stronger than when we met back at the hospital, and you're so strong you've got eight demons working for you! You must have gained some incredible power!"

Naoki blinked. "Actually, it's only five – Shiisa's with you and Pixie and Jack Frost are just here because of Chiaki." He pointed to the other demons. "And the others are only working for me because. . ." his voice trailed off and he turned towards them. "Why ARE you helping me, actually?"

The demons glanced at each other, wondering just how much they were willing to tell him. Eventually, they shrugged.

"It passes the time," Hua Po answered.

The other demons nodded. This seemed to be sufficient explanation for now.

"Want Eat!" Preta added at the end. He then whispered softly to himself, quietly enough that the others didn't hear: "Want help you,"

Naoki turned back to Hijiri, content enough with such a flimsy reason that he didn't pursue the matter further. "I didn't mean to leave you behind at the Hospital – I'm sorry about that. But how did YOU get here without the demons eating you?"

Hijiri smiled in answer. "I got here. . . " He pointed to the barrel shaped object next to him. Naoki immediately recognised it as the spinning drum he had seen in the Hospital – the one Hikawa had used to summon Baphomet and the one Hijiri had stayed behind to study. ". . .using this."

Naoki blinked. "How did you manage to carry that here?" _He's stronger than I thought._

Hijiri grinned wider. "Ha, I'm not just a pretty face. I'm also really strong!" he chuckled to himself but quickly recovered. "No, kid. This pillar is identical to the one at the hospital, but it's not the same one. They're scattered all over Tokyo."

He patted the drum as though it were a treasured pet, his eyes positively glittering as he showed off his toy. "These things are not just pretty pieces of artwork – they're absolutely amazing devices!"

Shiisa barked happily. "He'd never have discovered these things without my help."

Hijiri glanced at the lion dog. "Whatever he just said, he's lying. Anyway, these things are known as Amala Terminals, created by Hikawa. They're all over Tokyo, all in different locations, serving as a huge transportation network, connected to each other by . . ." he paused for a moment. ". .. I'm not sure quite how to describe it – it's like a passageway or a different dimension. Using it, you can send anything to a distant location, instantly. So, to answer your initial question? I basically teleported here from the hospital."

"You. . . " Naoki was stunned, even despite all the crazy supernatural events that had occurred lately. "Teleported yourself?"

Meanwhile, an exuberant greeting between the members of Shinjuku Hospital Infiltration Team had been going on. When Shiki heard this bit of news, however, the mood changed abruptly.

"Are you INSANE?" He yelled at Shiisa, his composure momentarily shattered. "The Amala Network is not for transporting humans!"

Shiisa barked cheerfully. "Hey, it worked just fine, didn't it? No pain, no gain."

"I'm surprised the both of you weren't obliterated!" Shiki frowned.

Naoki ignored them – there was something far more important he wanted to know. "You said that these things were made by Hikawa?"

"That's right. Not only do these things transport people around, they also provide access to a wealth of information. I've learnt that there's a group in Ginza, vying for control of shaping this infant world, known as the Assembly of Nilho . .. and it's leader is a human. That guy's just GOT to be Hikawa. He must have designed these Amala Terminals before the Conception occurred, leaving them in place as some sort of groundwork."

Naoki gasped. "That makes sense. .. damn that guy! So this thing can transport me anywhere in Tokyo? As in, to where Hikawa is?"

Hijiri nodded. "I think so. Say, want to work together? I can use this thing to send you to Ginza so you can find information about that group. What do you say? It's risky, but it's better than wandering around on your own, right?"

Naoki nodded. "Right. Send me there." He paused for a moment, then glanced around at the others. "Uh. . .. if that's okay with you."

Chiaki stamped her foot. "No it's NOT okay! We are NOT doing this, teleporting using a spinning drum halfway across Tokyo!"

Hijiri shrugged. "I won't lie to you – it could be pretty risky over there. Ginza's not a neutral zone like Shibuya, so it could be in an all out war as we speak. But the procedure itself is perfectly safe. I tried it myself about eighteen times, and I'm still more or less in one piece. I can't really give you any more proof than myself."

Chiaki was adamant. "I don't care. We already have things to do and we don't need you or your child's toy."

Naoki turned to her and gave her a look of pure pleading. "Chiaki, please! If we find Hikawa, then we find Ms. Takao. She can help us! I need to –"

She stamped her foot again. "I don't care, KASHIMA! I am the one in charge, and I say we're going to find Isamu first!" She gave him her best glare, one that always enabled her to get her own way.

Not this time. Naoki glared right back. "Ms. Takao's stuck with a madman who destroyed the world and this could be my best chance of finding her!" He turned to Hijiri, grabbed him by both hands. "Send me there!"

Preta waved his hands, pausing momentarily from trying to eat Hijiri's hat. "Not good! Not good! No Eat!" A strange expression appeared on his face, a look of frustration. His simplistic mind was trying to say something that it simply wasn't capable of saying.

By a minor miracle, Naoki caught the meaning of what the Preta was trying to convey. "I don't care how dangerous it is, Ms. Takao's in danger! I have to help her!"

"Okay, okay!" Hijiri grumbled. "Just please, lay off on the clothes – I got these dry cleaned before the apocalypse and I'm getting the feeling I might not be able to dry clean them again!"

Naoki let go of him. "Sorry."

"Alright, how about this. I send you two at a time. That's how it worked before, so that shouldn't cause any problems" Hijiri looked around at the assembled group. "Okay, who goes first?"

All of the demons instantly pointed at the Preta. . . only to find the Preta already jumping up and down and shouting. "Me Pick! Me Pick!"

Pixie stared, dumbfounded. "He actually volunteered himself. . .? You must have hit him harder than I thought, Pervert."

"Gruah. . . " Bill O Wisp muttered. "He. .. strange. . . "

Pixie shrugged. "Well, whatever. I'll go with –"

Shikigami wrapped his tail around her mouth to shut her up. "YOU are coming with ME."

"Road trip! Road trip!" Kodama cheered. "Let's go together, Hua Po!"

Jack Frost smiled. "I volunteer myself to escort Lady Chiaki, He Ho!"

"Gruaaah.. ." Bill complained. "Wait. . . minute. . . who . . .come. . . with .. . me?"

"We are NOT doing this!" Chiaki yelled, feeling as though she was losing control of the situation. "LISTEN TO ME!"

Hijiri pretended not to hear her. It wasn't easy. "Alright. Once I send everybody, Shiisa and I will head over to Ginza too and we're figure out our next plan of attack." He smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Let's get this party started! Alright Naoki, you're up first!" Hijiri indicated for Naoki to come over and place his hands on the drum. The Preta didn't even need to be told – it was holding onto the drum with its jaws, trying to eat it, it's small teeth luckily doing no damage to the drum's surface.

"Now then, let me give you a quick heads up on how to work this thing. First thing you do is look for a brightly glowing dot, which should be about . . . here. See it?"

Naoki saw it and nodded.

"Good – that's where you are right now. Any time in the future you're using one of these, just remember that dot is where you currently are. Now, notice anything weird about it?"

Naoki studied the dot. It was a faintly blinking blue dot in the centre of the pillar, surrounded by the runes on the drum, looking almost like a computer screen.

". .. I don't get it," he admitted after staring at it for a little while.

"Should we tell him?" Hua Po whispered.

Pixie shook her head. "No. It's more fun this way."

"Take another look, Naoki. Think about it – that dot represents Shibuya. If Shibuya is here, then. . . where is Ginza?"

Understanding dawned on Naoki's face. "I get it – it's a map of Tokyo!" That was right – the dot was in about in the centre of the little screen."

"Almost – it's a map of how Tokyo _used_ to be. Obviously Hikawa built these things when everything was ordinary and normal. So, if this glowing mark represents Shibuya, then . . ."

Chiaki stamped her foot. "I'm speaking!"

"Yes, we know!" Hua Po told her. "SHUT UP!"

"Yeah, shut up, icky woman!" Kodama echoed.

Shiki fired a blast of electricity at the both of them. "She can't hear you, idiots."

Hijiri ignored the interruption. ". . .then this area . . .here. .. . represents Gnza. Okay? So all we have to do is press it . . ."

He gave a small area to the right of the Shibuya dot a poke, indicating the province of Chuo where Ginza was located. Almost immediately, the drum began to hum, the runes on its surface glowing as the drum began to spin.

"And there we go! As long as you're holding on to the pillar, you'll be transported off to Ginza! Good luck – and try to stay alive!"

Naoki nodded as the runes began to glow and spin faster and faster, making him feel dizzy. "Uh, I'll try."

"Want. . .eat. . ." the Preta whined, possibly feeling nausea as well.

"Oh yeah," Hijiri cautioned. "You uh, might get a teeny tiny bit of nausea, and it might be a teeny tiny bit a painful – but nothing you can't handle, right? Right. Okay, see you?"

Naoki nodded and turned his head to look at Chiaki, cringing inwardly at the look of pure fury she gave him. Desperately, he tried to crack a smile to cheer her up – but then the teleportation started and he vanished from the room, along with the Preta. It was as though he'd been sucked into the drum as it spun.

"WOAH!" Kodama shouted, greatly impressed. "He did a magic trick!"

"No he didn't, stupid!" Pixie glared at him. "Haven't you been listening?"

"How will we know when he's at Ginza?" Chiaki asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be able to tell," Hijiri reassured her. "Okay everybody! The drum will be perfectly safe to use as soon as it stops spinning, okay?"

Chiaki wasn't convinced. "Is it working?"

Hijiri nodded. "Yep, looks like everything is working perfe– hey, wait a minute. . ."

"Um – is that supposed to happen?" Shikigami asked as the previously blue runes began to turn red and the drum increased its speeding instead of slowing down.

Both Hijiri and Chiaki stared at the demon in shock, realization dawning on them that it had spoken in Japanese. They were so shocked that both of them completely forgot to check on the drum, and turned their outrage instead at the paper demon.

"Do you mean to tell me that you were fully capable of speaking to me properly all this time and you just –"

"We can talk about that later," Shikigami grumbled. "But in case you haven't noticed, the drum appears to be malfunctioning."

Hijiri glanced back at the drum, hearing it humming angrily like a swarm of demonic bees. "No, no, everything's fine, it's just a technical glitch. Nothing to worry about. . ." he swore lightly as blue sparks began to fly off the drum, setting his hat on fire. "Crap!" Larger sparks began to fly.

Kodama laughed and cheered. "He broke it! He broke it!"

Hua Po joined in. "Look at the pretty fireworks! Pretty fireworks!"

"Gruahh!" Bill O Wisp said nervously. "This. . .bad. . ."

"Hee ho!" Jack said. "Those sparks look he ho scary. Never fear, Lady Chiaki! I shall protect you, He Ho!" He jumped in front of her, shielding her from the sparks.

"Nothing's wrong!" Hijiri shouted as the drum began to spin so much it was dancing across the floor. "This is just a minor technical difficulty!"

"The HELL nothing is wrong!" Chiaki yelled back as she dodged sparks and a rampaging terminal. "Fix that thing this ins-"

The rest of her words were cut off as the drum began to whine, a tremendous whining noise that made everyone's ears bleed, but even as they were covering their ears there came a blinding flash of white light, a light so intense that it was as though Kagutsuhii itself had decided to drop into the terminal room and say hello.

Chiaki screamed in pain. "My ears are bleeding! Turn that noise off!" From somewhere she heard a voice, strangely calm. It was Naoki's. "Chiaki? Chiaki! What's happened? Don't worry, I'll help you!"

Even now, as her mind was falling into unconsciousness yet again, Chiaki couldn't help but snort angrily. _What gives you the right to help ME?_

Hijiri rubbed his eyes, struggling to see as the light faded. "Shit.. ."

He blinked a few times then looked around the Terminal. . . only to find himself completely alone, with not even Shiisa for company.

_Zzzzzz. . . Huh, What? Who the fuck woke me up? _

* * *

><p><em><strong>You who are about to enter my world, show me your soul.<strong>_

_What the fuck? Who the fuck are you? What is this shit? Why the fuck am I talking to a giant fucking disco ball? Oh, Fuck. This is the last time I pull an all out night cocaine, heroin and sake fucking binge… gives me fucking hallucinations. Hey – wait – WHAT THE FUCK are you doing! Hey! HEY! ARRGH!_

**. . . !**

_Wooaah, fuuuuuck. That was some weird fucking shit. . . it was like my entire fucking life just flashed before my eyes. That was fucking trippy man. Do it again!_

_**. . .You are a sick, twisted individual.**_

_Oh great, the fucking disco ball's a fucking philosopher. Yeah, so I'm scum. So fucking what? Who do the fuck do you think you are? _

_**I am the judge of this world. I am Kagatsuhi. I am God's Will. And you have SINNED! You disgusting creature!**_

_Yeah, sure, figment of my fucking imagination or conscience or whatever the fuck you are. You're fucking angry and think I'm a fucking bastard. Well, Fuck you too. Now, If you're finished pissing me off, then you'll just float off to wherever the fuck you came from._

_**You have committed unspeakable acts. Such an evil soul must be punished.**_

_Yeah, you hate my fucking guts. I fucking get it! Now get the fuck out of my – WAIT WHAT THE FUCKING – OH FUCKING GOD WHAT THE FUCKING HAVE YOU - _

_**DO NOT SPEAK GOD'S NAME, SINNER. CEASE YOUR COURSE LANGUAGE!**_

_What THE ****. have you done to me? What the ****.is this ***? **** I've been turned into a *** monster! YOU ****, when I get my **** hands on your **** I'm going to *** your neighbour, *** your **** then I'll **** you in the ****. You *** hear me? **** Now I can't even **** swear! YOU ****** *** *** **** **** **** **** ***** **** PIECE OF **** *** **** DISCO BALL!_

_**I have given you a physical body to match the colour of your soul. So have you been judged by God. **_

_Great, just **** great. Alright, thanks a *** lot horrible nightmare, you've convinced me I'm an evil **** Yeah, tell me something I didn't **** know. Well, I've had enough of this **** nightmare. You hear me ****? It's time to ***** wake up! Lots of ***** to ****, **** to ****, so little time. . . These **** won't **** themselves, you know? Boy, will I be **** glad when I finally wake up from this ****…_

_**This is no dream, sinner. Behold the nightmare you have created of your own accord!**_

_Wait – what the ***! Why can't I wake up from this **** nightmare! What The *** is this?_

_**Now, Go! And suffer in the world your black heart deserves!**_

_Hey – hey, wait a minute, I was just kidding about **** up your ***, buddy! I don't like this dream, buddy, let me go back to the one where I was **** that **** in the alley with all my buddies. Hell yeah, that one was good. Hey – hey wait, Shining Disco Ball! Come back! Don't leave me like this! Come back! COME BACK! I don't want to stay like this!_

_Ah, ****. ****, this may be a trippy dream, but I AM **** hungry. Like, reaaaly hungry, like hungriest I've ever been. I want sushi. I want hamburgers. I want Pizza. I want . . . _

* * *

><p>". . . eat. WANT EAT!" said the Preta as he chewed on Naoki's left foot and blew a fireball, rousing the demi fiend from his sleep. Naoki grunted and whimpered, still mostly asleep.<p>

"Just five more minutes. . ." he muttered.

The Preta frowned, blew another fireball, this one aimed more precisely. In the very next instant Naoki was up, flailing, having punted the Preta to the other side of the room,, his hands rubbing against his hair as fast as he could.

_My hair! My hair's on fire!_

It took several frantic moments for him to douse the flame. It was only then, as he blew on his hands, that he finally looked around himself.

_Wait – WHAT IS THIS?_

He was up on his feet, looking around, trying to make sense of this new situation. This wasn't Ginza – it wasn't even Tokyo! This was a world of utter blackness, punctuated only by red lines pulsing through the walls, the ceiling and the floor that gave his vision an unsettling red gleam. He could hear a constant whirring sound, almost electronic. More than though was the oppressive feeling of being poisoned.

_This stuff, flowing everywhere. . . it's Magatsuhi. I'm . . .absorbing it. . . ._

He didn't know HOW he knew, but he did. He looked around. It seemed he was in a corridor of some sort, a corridor with only one way out – forward, the path stretching off as far as he could see.

_How did I end up here, anyway? _

He remembered activating the spinning drum in the Terminal, getting sucked into it and then hurtling down a series of corridors similar to this one. Then something had gone wrong – lightning had arced across his face, a terrible whirring sound in his ears, and he had winced in pain then blacked out.

_So does this mean that I'm in –_

**Hey . .. hey! HEY! Can you hear me!**

A sudden voice made him jump at least ten feet into the air – no exaggerations. It was as though the voice was everywhere at once, booming and painful. But he still recognised the voice.

"Hijiri?" Naoki asked. "Hijiri, is that you?"

**Naoki? Oh thank goodness, looks like you're still safe. Listen. . . I'm terribly sorry about this.**

"What. . .what happened?"

**Err. . .it seems I may have made a minor miscalculation in my studies, causing the link to fail. You're in the Amala Network itself.**

Naoki sighed, looking at the Preta as it tried to eat the walls. "I see. Preta's here too. Is everyone else okay?"

**Errr. . . it depends on your interpretation of 'okay'. I'm fine, thanks for asking, but Chiaki was sucked into the Amala Network along with you. Give me a minute. .. **

Naoki waited.

**Hmm, that's odd. I can't find her or her Jack Frost demon anywhere.**

Naoki panicked. "WHAT?"

**Calm down. Man, these terminals are something else! I can see you and where your path is and I can see pretty much every demon that's currently in the network. There's a hell of a lot of them – they're probably all trying to consume the Magatsuhi. In short: If I can't see Chiaki and Jack, then they're not in here. **

"So. . . they could be anywhere? Anywhere in Tokyo?"

**Not just anywhere – the network was linked only from Shibuya to Ginza. As she's not in Shibuya and not in the network, she must be in Ginza. So chill.**

Naoki tried to chill, but was having great difficulty. "What about the others?" It was a bit odd, being forced to talk to a disembodied voice.

**The other demons? Looks like they're stuck in the Amala Network along with you. It looks like everyone's alright. . .wait a minute, Pixie's shouting at me. **

There was a short pause.

**She. . . has a message for you. **

Naoki blinked. "What is it?"

**It is "This is all your fault, Pervert." In a slightly louder tone of voice, slightly censored. Yes, I think everybody's okay.**

"That's a relief," Naoki sighed. "So, how do I get out of here?"

**Well, the Amala Network is exactly what it says on the tin: It's a network, a link between two terminals. Where there's an entrance, there's always an exit. Just follow the corridor and things should be short and sweet. You'll run into all your demon allies on the way there, so everything should be fine in the end. It'll just take a little longer, that's all.**

"Uh, okay. . " Naoki turned to the Preta. "I guess it's just you and me for now, huh?"

The Preta grinned. "Want Eat!" It said in a cheery voice.

* * *

><p>Author's notes:<p>

*Watches as readers run off screaming into the distance*

Okay, I admit, that particular flashback was a trifle bit heavy in the language. Sorry! This probably doesn't need to be said, but that actually wasn't a Naoki one – no, it's the first from our demon allies. It should be pretty obvious who it is.


	16. Isolation

Chapter 15: Isolation

There was nowhere else to go but follow the path forward, a path that seemed to stretch on into infinity, a path that felt almost claustrophobic, as though the red walls and ceiling and floor was closing in on him. It was almost as though he was literally walking the entire way to Ginza.

He should have felt personally grateful for the peace and quiet. He should have been glad that nobody was trying to kill him. Instead, Naoki couldn't help but feel bothered by the fact that he was completely on his own, except for one lonely Preta demon, who was not particularly good at conversation.

So he jogged. And jogged. And jogged.

**It's. . . boring, isn't it? **

For a second, Naoki forget that Hijiri was still able to talk to him without actually being physically there. The words so perfectly matched his own thoughts that he'd momentarily though they WERE his own thoughts, given voice. But then he remembered and nodded.

**Listen – I don't know about you, but personally I think this is taking too long. You want me to try something to break up the boredom?**

Naoki paused for a moment to blink. "What do you mean?"

**Just watch. I've learned this cool new trick. Nothing up my sleeve. . . PRESTO!**

The entire hallway lit up in a flash of light that reflected off the walls and rendered Naoki completely blind for a few seconds. He yelled in surprise, the Preta demon yelping as well. After a few seconds the light faded, but Naoki wasn't pleased with what he saw. The path he was on had been completely sealed off, both in front and behind him, boxing him in a tiny little room.

**. . . Well, that wasn't supposed to happen. Are you stuck?**

Naoki nodded, then suddenly realized Hijiri might not have been able to see the nod. "Yes, I think so. Something's just blocked the path and I can't go any further."

**Well, Blast. I was going to teleport in a hot Lilim chick for you to play with, but I think I messed up instead.**

_A hot. . . _Naoki's eyes widened, tried to put his mind off the subject. "So. . . can you fix it?"

**I think so. .. damn, this thing's complicated. Okay, I think I've got an idea. . . let me just try something. . . **

Again came the flash. When it faded, Naoki could see that the path was clear. More than that, he could see in the distance that the path went down a set of stairs, seemingly to another level.

Downwards.

**How's that, huh?**

"You – you fixed it!" Naoki said, greatly impressed.

Beside him, the Preta cheered jubilantly. "Want eat! Want eat!"

**Sorry about that. I.. . I think I'm starting to get it now. Odd, this didn't happen before. Hmm, maybe the Amala Network never stays the same shape. Well, if something happens, give me a yell and I'll do what I can.**

Naoki nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks for your help."

**No problem. Oh, by the way. . . do you still want the Lilim?**

Naoki blinked. "No. . .no, I'm fine." _YOU DIRTY OLD MAN!_

**Heh. More for me. Well, continue on.**

Naoki obeyed, moving forward and down the stairs, taking them two at a time. This new level was much like the one above – just as linear. Just as boring. He jogged along this path for what seemed like an eternity, but just when he was feeling the twinges of boredom . . .

**Oh Jeez – AGAIN? **

The flash of light from before reappeared suddenly and without warning, sending Naoki's hands up to shield his eyes. Just like before, the path was blocked off when his vision cleared. Hijiri summed up Naoki's thoughts exactly.

**Stupid thing!**

Naoki sighed. "Hijiri? It happened again."

**Yeah, I kind of noticed. Damnit, why is this stupid network only acting up for you and not the other demons? *Sigh* Whatever, just give me a second. Hopefully it'll be as smooth as the last time. . . **

He anticipated the flash this time, although the Preta was once again caught out, so this time he didn't have the blindness from before. Just as before, the path was restored – but unlike before, the path had split in half. One path went straight ahead, the other path veered off to the left.

Panic gripped Naoki. "Hijiri? Hijiri! The path's split up! Which way do I go?"

**Calm down, would you? Don't panic – I'm guiding you on the right path, right? Just keep what you were doing before. Go straight head, down the stairs. After that, it should be a completely linear path to Ginza – I hope. Understand?**

Hesitantly, Naoki nodded.

**Okay? Now, continue on.**

"Yeah," Naoki whispered. _I can do this. As long as Hijiri is guiding me, I'll be fine. _

He turned to the Preta. "Let's get going." The Preta nodded back. Comforted, Naoki took a single step -

**SHIT! Bloody hell! Naoki, I think something's gone – **

- and in the next instant he was on his knees, hands clasped over his head as a high pitched screeching came roaring through the network, drowning out Hijiri's voice. From his vantage point on the ground, Naoki was acutely aware of the walls beginning to vibrate as the Magatsuhi within them blazed like fire. "HIJIRI!" he yelled. "What's happening!"

No answer, or at least not one that Naoki could hear over the static. The walls began to glow, brighter and brighter until he was unable to keep his eyes open and could only lie face down on the ground, covering his ears. He could vaguely hear the Preta yelping behind him, it's own arms too short to cover its ears or eyes.

For several terrible minutes or seconds or centuries, Naoki's world\ was a roar of static and bright light.

Then, just as suddenly, it stopped and an eerie silence fell over the network. He uncovered his ears, got back up to his feet, looked around.

The ground and ceiling was much the same as it was before, except for the minor fact that the ceiling was now so high that Naoki could barely see it. The walls, however, were completely different – where before they'd been little more than swirling lines of red Magatsuhi they were now tangible, solid things, hundreds of meters tall, now constructed out of some sort of golden metal. There were still lines of Magatsuhi running through the walls, but they were now overshadowed by the golden metal.

As he stared up at it, Naoki couldn't help but feel very small and intimidated. It only got worse when he looked around the path ahead of him and realized the awful truth. Where once there had been only one path. . .

There were now thousands! Left, right, up, down, in the walls, on the floor, in the ceiling, all different shapes and sizes, a dizzying kaleidoscope of choice, and Naoki panicked at the wide choice. "HIJIRI!" He yelled. "Help me! Which way do I go?"

For several seconds there was silence. But then:

**. . . .ca. . . . n . . . yo. . . .u . . . hear. . . . e? Say .. . som. . . in. ..**

The voice was distant, barely audible, but it was still him. "HIJIRI!" Naoki yelled again. "Hijiri!"

**O. . . god . . .am. . . .it. . . . . . . the. . . . conn. .. ection's. . . fail. . . I'll. . . .fig. .. . ure. .. . . out. . . some . . . .don't. . . . okay? **

And then there was silence, silence except for the blood pounding in Naoki's ears, the wimpering of the Preta beside him, the breath coming in and out of his lungs in halting, jerky breaths, as his eyes widened and he began to tremble.

_No. . . . no. . . . _

His mind became a jumble of thoughts and terrors as he realized that Hijiri was going to LEAVE, to ABANDON him all alone, that he was going to be all ALONE, and he couldn't deal with it.

_NO! NO! NO NO! NO NO! NO NO! NO NO NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! DON'T! LEAVE! ME!_

He was jumping into the air, stretching out his hands, as though he could just reach up and grab Hijiri and force him to stay. "Don't LEAVE ME!"

He was clawing at the walls, trying to scratch his way through. "HIJIRI! COME BACK!"

"Want Eat!" The Preta whimpered.

Nothing.

_I'm alone. I'm all alone. What do I do now?_

In his human life, the life he'd been living until all of this mayhem had struck, Naoki Kashima had been somebody who needed others. He needed them to provide him a path to follow, a direction to head, a leader to obey. Anybody. Ms. Takao, his foster parents, Chiaki, Isamu, God, Hijiri – ANYBODY. Without it, he felt completely lost, almost as though he'd lost the reason for living. It was a lost that was almost as painful as losing the ability to breathe. Without it, he didn't know what to do.

The Preta looked at the Demi Fiend as Naoki cowered on the ground. Lacking eyes with working pupils, it was impossible to tell the exact emotion on the demon's face as he poked Naoki. ". . .eat?"

Naoki looked around, focused on the Preta. "Tell me…." Naoki begged.

"Eat?" The Preta asked again.

"Please tell me. What do I do?"

The Preta blinked, barely understanding the question. ". .. eat?"

"No, no. I mean, besides eating. Which way should we go?"

The Preta frowned. "EAT!"

A dry cough erupted from Naoki's throat. "Heh. . . heheheheh. . . . " A smirk appeared on his face, but it wasn't a cheery one – it was the smirk of a boy completely fed up with the world. "Eat. Of course that's what you'd say, isn't it?"

He got to his feet, turned and glared at the little demon with barely concealed outrage. "That's all you ever think ABOUT, ISN"T IT? You good for nothing piece of SHIT!"

The Preta simply stared back at him. "Eat."

"Don't change the subject!" Naoki yelled, his rational mind having gone on a temporary holiday due to his fear. "You think this is funny, don't you, watching me writhe around in misery!" He stomped around, swinging at imaginary foes, as the walls behind him blazed red. He was paralysed by his own ineptitude and hesitations and they threatened to consume him.

"Why. . . why me.. . why did this have to happen to ME? WHY ? WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE ME!" The Preta looked on disinterested as Naoki slipped into full whiny kid temper tantrum mode. "Where do I go? What do I do? WHY WON'T SOMEBODY HELP ME?"

The Preta rolled his eyes. "You. Dumb **** " Naoki didn't catch the last word the Preta spoke – it was completely incomprehensible. What he did notice, however, was when the Preta suddenly pointed down the hall in a completely random direction, not even caring where it was pointing.

"Go that way."

Naoki's jaw dropped, staring at the Preta in disbelief. "Did you. . . did you just –"

"Eat!" The Preta said, pointing insistently. "Eat!"

"Okay! Okay!" Naoki waved his hands. _It's better than nothing. _ _Any direction is better than no direction at all._ The two of them headed off, continuing their journey.

As they continued to walk, it quickly became obvious that they weren't alone. There were lost souls – ghosts, similar to what he'd seen in Yoyogii Park and Shiniju and Shibuya. As far as he could tell, they were dead people, people who had been killed prior to the Apocalypse. He didn't know whether he could see them now because the Conception occurred, or if it was because he'd been . . .turned. It was hard to tell because both things had occurred at the same time.

What he did know was that the vast majority of the Lost Souls in the Amala Network were not being very chatty.

"GOOOOO AAWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAY!"

That had come from a woman soul, waving about a rifle and hollering at the top of her lungs. It came to no avail, however, as the Preta swallowed her, rifle and all. Naoki could only shake his head, trying to figure out how a zombie could eat a ghost, and continue on their path.

The other ghosts weren't any better.

"Frigging demons, marching around here like they own the place! Go away!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Get out of my face!"

Finally, Naoki found one that was more talkative. So talkative, in fact, that it was the one who spoke to him first. "Hey – hey! Are you a demon?"

Naoki blinked. "Uh. . . "

_I'm talking to a soul. A dead guy. This is very weird._

"You are, aren't you! Oh, this is so great, I've always wanted to meet you, Mr. Demon! My name's Taichi Tachibana! I'd shake your hand, but I seem to have lost the ability along with my corporeal form."

Naoki blanked. "Well, actually, I'm a –"

The lost soul wasn't listening. "You're so lucky to be a demon. Nobody can tell you what to do, how to act, where to go . . . not like me. You see this?"

Naoki blinked, looked closer, only realizing the ghost – Taichi, apparently – had been wearing a hat when he took it off. Underneath the hat was a skull split open like a tomato, the brain exposed and in several large pieces.

"EAT!" The Preta yelled, pointing. Naoki stared in stunned horror, even as he picked up the Preta to prevent it from trying to eat the ghost.

"Looks awesome, doesn't it?" the ghost smirked. "That's what falling out of a high rise apartment will do to you!"

Actually, now that Naoki studied him more carefully, the ghost reminded him of somebody he used to know, despite the tattered clothing, half amputated arms, smashed ribs, exposed brain. He reminded him of a classmate with black hair and glasses who was the dux of the – wait a minute –

"You're Tachibana. . . from my class. . . " Naoki whispered.

"Eh?" it was the ghost's turn to blink in confusion and look at Naoki more closely. "No you weren't. Sure, there was some pretty nasty bullies, but I'm positive there weren't any demons in the class." He smirked to himself. "That would have been SO awesome!"

Naoki shook his head. "No, it's me! Naoki Kashima! Remember?"

Realization dawned in Tachibana's eyes. "Holy. . . Kashima! You're a demon? YOU? . . . THAT IS SO FUCKING AWESOME!"

He swarmed Naoki, floating in the air and flying around him, bits of brain tumbling out behind him. "You've got freaking tattoos! YOU! You've GOT to tell me how this happened, Kashima!"

Naoki told him.

"A demonic apocalypse?" The ghost was shocked.

"Yes."

"You mean. . . the demonic apocalypse occurred. . . just three hours after I. . . " His voice trailed off for a second. "You mean if I'd stayed alive just a few hours later, I'd have been turned into a demon, too!"

"Um.. . " Naoki was confused. "I don't know.. . .I didn't exactly want this to happen."

"Great, just my luck .. . " the ghost's foul mood lasted for approximately half a heartbeat. "So, you new to this place, or what?"

"Yes, I am. I'm going to Ginza, to find my teacher."

"Well then, let me warmly welcome you to the Amala Network. It's a little tricky to navigate through if you don't know what you're doing, especially for humans – but since you're a demon, you'll be fine. This place . . .it messes with your head."

Naoki blinked. "What do you mean, it messes with your head?"

"Don't worry – it's something only humans have to deal with. I think it's to do with the Maga-whatsit running through the walls. You know, human emotions? According to Kanji – he's one of the old timers around here – the Amala Network is kind of like a magnet to guys like me. We're like a little gang – I call us the High Fallers!"

Naoki blinked again. "Right . . . um, is this the right way to Ginza?"

"Yep – you're on the right track. Oh, before you head off, let me give you a piece of advice." The ghost cleared his throat, then spoke in an official sounding tone. "You always have a choice. Even if you choose to do nothing at all."

Naoki was confused. "What does that –"

"Oh, you'll find out. Seeya!" And just like that, he vanished into nothingness, leaving behind a very confused Naoki and a Preta that was trying to eat the very air.

* * *

><p>Shikigami knew it was blasphemy, but he thought of it anyway. <em>Lord Lucifer is truly evil for making me do this.<em>

It wasn't the fact that he was stuck with a demi fiend that didn't quite live up to the hype. No, it was the companions that Shikigami had been stuck with. Primarily, one small fairy clad in a blue swimsuit. It was only made worse by the fact that it was his own bloody fault.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

".. . Are we there yet?"

"No."

". .. how about now?"

"Hijiri. . ." The paper demon muttered, only remembering to speak in Japanese at the very last second.

**Before you ask, no. I am NOT capable of blasting the Pixie into a million tiny pieces, much as I would like to. She's driving me up the wall, as well.**

Shiki blinked. "That. . . was actually NOT what I was about to say, but I appreciate the sentiment. I wish to know the status of the Hito Shura."

**The Hito . . . Oh, you mean Naoki. I'm afraid I can't help you there. There's a lot of crazy stuff going on with him at the moment – I mean, more so than usual. It's like the Amala Network itself is rejecting him – there's so much interference I can't tell what he's doing or where he is. I don't even know if he's alive or not. . . .**

"You don't know where he is?" Pixie scoffed. "What the hell are you good for, then?"

**Give me a break, would you? Operating this priceless artefact wasn't exactly part of my nine to five day job, so lay off.**

Shiki contemplated involving himself in their petty argument, decided against it. "Hijiri – can you transport us to Naoki's last known location?"

**Huh? Oh! Ehehe. . . I didn't think of that. Sorry, Shikigami – just give me. . .a . . .sec. . . **

The door appeared.

**There, that should do it. Just go down that path, and you should appear in the general vicinity of where he used to be. Just. . .be careful. . . alright?**

Shikigami nodded., began to fly down the newly opened path. "Alright. Let's go, Pixie."

The Pixie sighed. "Yeah, whatever."

* * *

><p>Naoki Kashima was so stunned that his mouth dropped open. <em>Am I hallucinating? Is this really real?<em>

The two of them had continued past where they'd met Taichi, and nothing much had happened except for being yelled at by some more Lost Souls. But suddenly, just as Naoki was wishing this whole mess had never happened and he was back in the Old World of Normalcy, there suddenly came a bright flash of light.

When it faded, Naoki finally found himself no longer in the Amala Network. Gone were the walls of yellow metal, replaced instead by blue stone and paned glass windows. Gone were the claustrophobically narrow corridors, replaced by a spacious room of pews, of an altar and a large cross.

He was in a building that could only be classified as a church or cathedral, similar to the churches he had attended \in the past, but MUCH, much bigger. But more than that – much more than that – was the fact that it was full of PEOPLE. Living, breathing, _existing_ PEOPLE!

_This can't be real. Can it?_

Naoki stared down at himself, hoping against hope that the entire experience had just been a nightmare and he'd finally woken up from it into the real world. It was not to be. The markings remained. He could still feel his horn thing sticking out his back.

_And I always thought demons would burn to a crisp if they went inside a church. I don't know if I should be thankful or horrified that isn't true._

The church was full of people, indicating a sermon in session. Up at the front was a man who was very obviously the pastor, preaching. . . something. Naoki couldn't actually hear what was being said – he couldn't hear what was being said by any of the people. It was as though he was watching a silent film.

Strangely, this didn't bother him at all.

What did bother him, however – was the fact that he'd lost track of the Preta.

After a few seconds or moments of searching, he finally spotted the Preta – heading towards the front of the church with a silly grin on his face and jaws wide open. Naoki blinked, glanced towards the Preta's intended target, and his faced paled.

_My god! He's going to EAT the pastor!_

"No,. . ." Naoki whispered, breaking into a run, leaping over church pews, dodging praying people. "NOOO!" He lunged, caught the Preta by its hind legs, sending it face planting into the wooden floor.

"EAT!" The Preta whinged, flailing. "EAAAAAAT!"

"NO!" Naoki yelled at it, grabbing the Preta round the waist. "You CAN"T eat him!"

"No Eat!" The Preta yelled. "EAT! NO EAT! EAT!" It flailed madly, a crazed look in its face, shouting at the top of its lungs.

Bizarrely enough, the people in the church ignored the yelping demon, continuing to silently pray. Naoki had to shove his hand in the Preta's mouth to shut it up.

Once silence had returned, he could study the area more carefully, backing off out of the way in respect. His initial reaction to seeing this scene – a church full of people praying – was to seriously contemplate sitting down on a pew and join in the paying. He certainly DID have a lot to pray about.

Rationality, however, warned him that such an action would be a highly stupid idea. It was just too good to be true. So he simply stood there, watching the scene before him, but unable to help himself feeling a sense of longing. It was bizarre, but it was a scene that invoked in him familiarity and good memories

_This is how things are supposed to be. I wish I could just go back to this, go back. . . go back in time._

It seemed so simple back then and he yearned to go back, wanted to go back to normalcy with all of his heart.

_But I can't. I can only keep moving forward._

He closed his eyes in an attempt to make the scene fade before him.

In that same instant, someone shouted at him.

His eyes snapped open, hammered open at the sound of a person's voice and he looked around, eyes widening in panic as he realized what had happened.. The church session. had stopped, the people had finished praying, and they'd gotten up to leave, only to spot a pair of demons in their near vicinity.

It wasn't clear who was more shocked – the church goers at seeing two demons in their church, or Naoki himself at the sudden change in demeanour.

"Who are you!" the nearest person asked. "What is that thing? What are those tattoos?"

"I. . . ." _Oh hi there, I'm a half demon who just decided to drop in on your little church sermon and oh by the way don't mind my buddy here, he just wants to eat you all – _

His voice wouldn't work for a second, old habits rushing at him in a torrent. He found solace in another of his old habits – apologizing. "I'm . . . I'm sorry, I just heard the praying and was curious. . . I'll just leave now. . . sorry for bothering you. . .. "

"Mmmkph Eat!" said the Preta, flailing. Naoki gave it a poke to silence it. He turned around, in an attempt to go out the door and leave – only to find that somehow some of the church goers had managed to get behind him, and were blocking his escape.

The Pastor walked over, his mouth agape in horror. "Demons!" He shouted. "Demons have invaded the church!"

The church descended into chaos, its normal peaceful people transformed into a raging mob, armed with swords and holy water, seemingly in the blink of an eye. Then the chanting started.

"DEMONS! MONSTERS!"

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit._

Naoki backed away, very nervous.

The Pastor whipped the church goers into a frenzy. "Kill it! Burn it! We must purify our church! It has been tainted by evil!"

Naoki tried to protest. "No, please – I was just leaving, I'm not going to hurt –" His protests were cut off by a deluge of water that poured all over him, buckets of water that came pouring forth from a tiny – empty? – cup, but that didn't matter because it was BURNING, searing pain!

The Preta flailed angrily. "MMPH KILL!" It snarled, trying to escape Naoki's grip.

Naoki snarled back at it. "NO! I won't let you hurt them!"

But right now it was not the churchgoers who were in danger of being hurt. They were slashing at him now, with blessed swords dipped in holy water, and he could FEEL every cut and slash as they cut through his demonic body like nothing. And now he could feel the searing pain of entering the church, being in such a holy place, anathema to a demon like him.

_I'm doomed. It's all over. As it should be._

He was shrieking, of course – IT HURT! But he was strangely calm, strangely serene in these last moments as he watched his body being hacked to pieces – his skin had been burnt off by the holy water as though it were acid. They'd cut off his arms and legs, and any moment now he'd burn down to ash completely, purifiying the church and thus restoring the status quo.

_This is how it should be. This is –_

"What the fuck are you doing, PERVERT?"

Pixie. OF COURSE. Who else could speak like that in the middle of a church? Naoki would have berated her, told her off, but he was nothing but a pile of ashes now, so that didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

Pixie was still yelling at him – furious, of course. "I don't frigging believe THIS! GET UP!""

"Go away," Naoki told her, despite not having a mouth or head or anything due to being a pile of ash. "I'm a pile of ash. Leave me alone."

"He's a pile of. . ." Shikigami, the paper demon. He sounded surprised.

"He's a pile of SHIT, that's what he is! Let's just leave him and find the exit ourselves. You're just going to have to tell the Lord that his precious Hito Shura's a lost cause."

"We can't do that," Shikigami frowned. "I believe I know what has happened. Hold them off for a moment so I can talk to him."

There was a slight pause, and then came Shiki's voice – louder now, as though he was right next to the pile of ash that was Naoki.

"Open your eyes, Naoki Kashima! See the truth! It's not real!"

_Not. . . real?  
><em>

He was a pile of ash. He KNEW he was a pile of ash. He FELT like a pile of ash. He was a pile of ash because he was an evil demon and he had stumbled into a church and the Holy Power of God had purified his tainted soul by burning him to ash – with a little help from holy water and the crucifixes that –

Rationality and irrationality warred within him. Rationality won.

_This is how it should be. . ._

_BUT IT ISN'T!_

In an action completely impossible for a pile of ash Naoki, opened his eyes and saw the truth. And immediately wished he hadn't.


End file.
